The Shield
Locked apps stay locked. Try to open one without earned time and the Shield appears instead, sending the child back to learn — enforced by the operating system, not by willpower.
In developmentKids Learn to Earn
Screen time, earned by learning
Kids Learn to Earn replaces the nightly argument about screen time with a simple rule: learn first, then play. The apps a parent chooses stay locked until their child passes a short, grade-level quiz. Passing unlocks them for a set window, and when the timer runs out, the lock comes back.
iOSAndroid
Kids Learn to Earn restricts other apps on a child’s device. It is a parental tool, not a substitute for supervision, and it does not guarantee any academic result. It is designed never to restrict phone calls or emergency calling — after setup, and after every system update, check that your child’s device can still place a call.
At a glance
- Built on Apple's Screen Time API on iPhone and iPad
- Parent-set pass marks and reward windows
- No ads, no third-party analytics, no location tracking
- Parent account and consent come first; children never sign up
- Phone and emergency calling designed never to be restricted
Lock, learn, pass, play
Lock. A parent chooses which apps or categories — games, video, social media — should be locked on their child’s device. Open one without earned time, and a friendly Shield appears instead, pointing back to the learning portal.
Learn. The child takes a short quiz — typically 10 to 15 questions — in math, reading or science, pitched at their grade level.
Pass. The parent sets the pass mark behind the scenes: 80%, say. Fall short, and the child can try again. There is no shortcut around the quiz.
Play. Passing unlocks the restricted apps for the window the parent chose — 30 or 45 minutes, for example. A countdown runs, and when it reaches zero the Shield comes back on. More learning earns more time.
Built on the platform’s own controls
On iPhone and iPad, Kids Learn to Earn uses Apple’s Screen Time API — the same system Apple built for parental controls. A parent authorises it through Family Sharing, and chooses apps with Apple’s own picker. Apple’s system, not ours, detects a locked app and shows the Shield — and Apple hands our app only sealed tokens, so we never learn which apps you chose.
On Android, the app uses the system permissions Android provides for parental controls, each explained on screen and switched on only with the parent’s consent, with a persistent notification whenever restrictions are active.
The parent is always in charge
Everything that matters sits behind a parental gate and a private passcode: the rules, the results, purchases, and every link out of the app. With the passcode, or Face ID or Touch ID, a parent can lift every restriction instantly or grant bonus time — for an emergency, a school project, or a good day. One parent account covers several children, each with their own grade level and rules, synced across the family’s devices.
What it deliberately does not touch
The phone dialer and emergency calling are designed never to be restricted. There is no advertising anywhere in the app, no third-party analytics, no location tracking, and no chat or social features — a child cannot contact or be contacted by anyone through it. Children never create accounts; a parent sets up everything and gives consent first, as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requires.
Features
What it does.
Grade-level quizzes
Short quizzes of 10 to 15 questions in math, reading and science, matched to each child's grade so the challenge is real but fair.
Parent-set pass mark
The parent decides what counts as a pass — 80%, 90%, whatever fits — and how many questions a quiz has. Children can retry, but cannot skip.
Timed reward windows
Passing unlocks the restricted apps for the window the parent set. A countdown runs in the background, and at zero the Shield returns on its own.
Instant parental override
A private passcode, Face ID or Touch ID lifts every restriction at once or adds bonus time — for emergencies, school projects, or a good day.
Several children, several devices
One parent account manages multiple child profiles, each with its own grade and rules, synced across every device in the family.
Private by design
No ads, no third-party analytics, no location tracking, no chat. On Apple devices we cannot even see which apps are locked — Apple gives us sealed tokens, not names.
Calls always get through
The phone dialer and emergency calling are designed never to be restricted, so a locked-down device is still a device your child can call you from.
Policies
Written for Kids Learn to Earn specifically.
Not a generic template with the product name swapped in. Each document addresses what this product actually does with your information.