Screen Time & App Safety
Calm, practical answers on screen time, parental controls, kids’ data and AI. We are an app team writing about apps, so we try to say plainly what to check rather than what to buy.
Choosing a drawing app for kids: a parent's checklist
A practical checklist for judging any drawing app for children, plus a ten-minute test you can run on the sofa before your child ever touches it.
9 min read
How much screen time is reasonable? A calm guide by age
There is no magic number, but there are sensible starting points. A calm guide to screen time by age, built around context and routine rather than guilt.
8 min read
Creative screen time vs passive screen time: how to tell the difference
Four plain questions that help you sort a child's screen time into making, choosing, talking and just watching, without guilt and without scare statistics.
8 min read
Parental controls that actually help on iPad and Android tablets
Which parental controls on iPad and Android tablets are worth ten minutes of your evening, how to set them at a general level, and what to do when they misbehave.
9 min read
Is AI safe for kids? Questions to ask before your child talks to a chatbot
No AI app earns a blanket yes or no. These are the questions we would ask about any chatbot, talking toy or voice feature before a child uses it.
9 min read
How kids' apps handle your child's data: what to look for in a privacy policy
A plain-English way to read a children's app's privacy policy, with the words to search for, what the big privacy laws are about, and a fifteen-minute routine.
9 min read
Why “no ads” matters in a kids' app (and how to check the claim)
A neutral look at what ads do inside a children's app, how free apps make their money, and how to test a no-ads promise instead of just trusting it.
8 min read
Bedtime and play limits that stick: making screen rules kids accept
How to set screen time rules your children will accept and you can keep: a family agreement, a visible timer, a wind-down routine and a backstop in the settings.
9 min read
Smart speakers, voice assistants and kids: what is fine and what to switch off
A room-by-room look at smart speakers, voice assistants and talking toys around children: what is harmless, what to switch off, and how to check the history.
8 min read
Screen time for toddlers: video calls, drawing apps and what to skip
A practical, guilt-free guide to screen time for toddlers: what to look up in current guidance, why video calls are different, and what to skip.
8 min read