The holiday season is one of the most enjoyable times of the year for kids. They get to have unlimited fun in more ways than one. Not having to attend school, sitting by the fireplace, sipping on hot cocoa, playing outside in the snow, receiving gifts, eating delicious food, and most of all, the unending screen time are but little moments of happiness for kids.
On the other end, parents dread the thought of kids lounging around in PJs with their faces glued to the screens because they have too much free time on their hands. Since parents have too much to do in very little time, it becomes impossible for them to manage kids’ screen time on their own (manually). However, it is doable with the help of FamilyTime parental control app.
FamilyTime – A Brief Introduction
FamilyTime appeared on the horizon of parental control apps in 2014. It was designed with a vision to help ease digital parenting and to provide support to parents fighting to protect their kids from digital threats. It rose to stardom in 2015 when a father successfully captured a sexual predator using FamilyTime. Top-tier media outlets like the Washington Post covered the story and provided validity to the efficacy of this app. Let’s look into what parents can expect from this app.
Main Features
FamilyTime is more than just a screen time app. It has everything a parent may need to protect their kids against the threats of the modern world, from internet filter to social media monitoring to app blocker and more. Here is what parents can do with this app.
- Screen Time Limit
Limiting kids’ screen time has never been easier before! The app allows you to limit you kids’ screen time down to the minute. You can even set time limits for individual apps so that kids would not spend the entire time playing games or using social media apps.
- Screen Time Schedule
Do you wish to create a more meaningful daily schedule for your kids? Try FamilyTime’s screen time schedule feature to help your kids accomplish their daily tasks without any distractions from their devices. You can assign time for activities like homework, bedtime, house chores, meal times, etc.
- App Blocker
Are you worried that your kids may be using age-inappropriate apps or games? With FamilyTime’s App Blocker in your corner, you can screen, approve, and disapprove your kids’ apps and games remotely. Whenever kids download an app, it gets blocked by default and parents are notified. They can choose to approve or disapprove the app from their devices to ensure kids don’t indulge in rash behavior.
- Time Bank
Are you struggling to instill better time management habits in your kids? Do you wish to help them use their time wisely? Try FamilyTime’s Time Bank feature. You can encourage your kids to save their designated screen time and deposit it in the Time Bank for later use during exams, important projects, quizzes, or on regular school days.
- Family Pause
Have you reached an impasse with your kids? Do you need to rescind their screen privileges? Try using Family Pause to ensure that your kids will not be able to use their screens at all. It makes their devices inaccessible for as long as parents would like. Sometimes, kids need tough love to really learn a lesson!
- Internet Filter
Are you worried that your kids may get exposed to adult/explicit content online? FamilyTime’s Internet filter helps parents block inappropriate websites and content using specific keywords. They can even prevent indecent content, images, videos, and text from appearing in the search results using its SafeSearch feature.
- Web History
Know what your kids are up to online. Monitor their digital activity and trace their footprints to ensure their online safety. Keeping an eye on their web history allows parents to find out what their kids do on the internet and whether they are seeking anything inappropriate or playing games they should not.
- YouTube & TikTok Monitoring
YouTube and TikTok monitoring features allow parents to keep an eye on their kids’ social media activity. They can see what content kids are watching on these platforms and protect them from exposure to indecent or violent content.
- Call & Text Monitoring
If you value your kids’ privacy but want to know what is going on their lives and whether they are struggling with anything, then this feature is perfect for you. It notifies parents if kids are indulging in dangerous behavior (e.g., sexting, online grooming, phishing, etc.) or if they need serious help and support (e.g., suicidal ideation, depression, cyberbullying, etc.).
- Location Tracking
Know where your kids are at all times and protect them from afar. It is better to track their footsteps digitally rather than staying in the dark not knowing where kids go and when they will return.
- Geofence
Mark places your kids visit often, like schools, malls, after-school classes/games, friends’ houses, etc., and get notifications as soon as they enter or leave those places. You can also draw a virtual fence around them and mark places they shouldn’t visit (e.g., bars, clubs, dangerous neighborhoods, etc.) to protect them better.
- SOS/Panic Button
Arm your kids with a powerful lifesaving tool called the SOS/Panic button. Kids can press it in emergencies to alert parents of their current location and their need for help. This button can be used in various scenarios, from getting jumped by bullies to needing immediate medical attention, and more.
- Teen Safe Drive
Protect your teen drivers on the road by assigning them a speed limit to follow. This feature tracks their driving speed in real time and alerts parents if kids exceed their assigned driving speeds.
FamilyTime offers many other parental features apart from the ones listed here and is one of most affordable choices on the market.
What Does It Cost?
FamilyTime offers a 3-day free trial with limited features for those who wish to test its efficacy before committing to its premium version. Apart from its free trial, FamilyTime has four payment plans that are designed based on the number of child devices to be monitored. You can choose the plan that suits your needs the best. The details of the payment options are as follows.
- The MyFamily Plan
It costs $2.25 a month and $27 per year. Parents can use it to monitor one child device. The MyFamily 2 Plan
It allows parents to monitor two child devices for the cost of $2.92 per month or $35 per year.
- The MyFamily 3 Plan
You can use this plan to monitor three child devices conveniently by paying $3.75 per month or $45 per year.
- The MyFamily 5 Plan
For the cost of only $5.75 per month or $69 per year, this plan enables parents to monitor five devices at the same time.
How to Use It?
FamilyTime app is available for download from (Google) Play Store and (Apple) App Store. Parents need to generate an account on its website to begin. Once you have created the account, download the parent app on the parent device and the junior version on the child’s device. After the app is downloaded and installed, log in using your credentials to link both devices and set up all the features you want as needed. Once that is done, you can manage your child’s device remotely from your own device.
Device Compatibility
FamilyTime works well with Android and iOS operating systems. It can be used to monitor an iOS device from an Android one or vice versa, which makes it a very dynamic and appealing choice for many parents.
Is It Really A Good Screen Time App?
FamilyTime is one of the most versatile screen time apps because it doesn’t just offer screen time limitation features. It goes beyond and helps parents formulate a more productive daily schedule for their kids. Moreover, it allows parents to instill better screen time management habits in kids from an early age. The app offers regular updates and launches new features periodically to help parents stay ahead of the curve. All these things make it a valuable asset for digital parenting.