ScreenLimit feedback thread - £200 voucher for non testers!NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for those MNers who tested ScreenLimit parental control app.

Here’s what ScreenLimit has to say about the app:

“ScreenLimit is a parental control app that allows parents to remotely manage their children's screen time from a smartphone, tablet or web browser on any computer.

It works on multiple devices, cross platform on Windows PCs and laptops along with iPhones, iPads, Android and Amazon devices (not Kindle Fire Kids Edition).

Parents can set a daily time allowance, instantly block access to sites, schedule times of the day when devices cannot be used, allow or block specific apps (not iOS), send their children direct messages and reward them for good behaviour. The innovative, built-in rewards function gives children the chance to earn ‘bonus’ screen time in exchange for completing tasks and household chores.

We’re a small team of dedicated parents with a mission to ensure children have a balanced childhood. If you have any issues we’re here to help and will respond quickly! Simply drop us an email at [email protected]”

Testers: please answer the following questions:
• Do you think ScreenLimit could be useful for parents to manage screen time?
• How user-friendly did you find ScreenLimit?
• What did you think about the rewards system?
• What does ScreenLimit do really well?
• Are there any other features that you would like to see?

Please also add a review of the app in the Mumsnet reviews section

Everyone who leaves feedback on this thread and fills in the feedback survey will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £200 voucher from the store of your choice.

NON TESTERS If you’re not testing, but would like the chance to win a £200 voucher for the store of your choice, please answer the following question by sharing your reply in the feedback thread below:

What app is the most used/misused by your children?

Thanks! And Good Luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Standard T&Cs apply

Non-Tester: I hate temple run! So much concentration and it is an absolute waste of time and energy! My BP rises and blood boils when my kid tortures me to give a chance to play temple run seeing other kids play! and to be honest any game app that has no educational value is a waste of time and energy and harms the children's body and mind

Non-Tester: The most used app is, YouTube but I let them watch only on Kindle which has its own parental control to limit the times and enforces security. And they watch arts and crafts and PeppaPig in YouTube so I feel it is OK as far as it is within the time and safety limit.

What app is the most used/misused by your children?
Most used is BBC iPlayer, most misused is definitely youtube, I've just had to disable it :-(

Non tester here.
Definitely iPlayer for CBBC. Both my DC (6&10) have Kindle fires which I have loads of security on - but they're safe with CBBC and there's lots to choose from.

Tester

Testers: please answer the following questions

• Do you think ScreenLimit could be useful for parents to manage screen time?
Yes I think it is very useful. Dd1 seems to be more accepting when the time limit has expired, rather than me saying time's up!

• How user-friendly did you find ScreenLimit?
Initial setup is easy, as is setting the timer. The icons and controls could do with being a bit bigger. Sometimes I had to close and reopen the app for the blocked apps to be available.

• What did you think about the rewards system?
This looked quite good and was a definite incentive. The process of claiming and awarding the reward points could be made more child friendly as dd was a bit confused with the interface. Otherwise it would be better to be under parental control only.
Also sometimes we would experience a delay between awarding credit and it being seen on the device.

• What does ScreenLimit do really well?
It is great as a general app to control the amount of time your children spend on electronic devices.

• Are there any other features that you would like to see?
As we are a household of Apple devices it would have been much more useful to have the ability to restrict specific apps. I understand this feature is on Android so sadly not available to us.

Tester

Do you think ScreenLimit could be useful for parents to manage screen time?

This is a very useful app. I often tell my children they can have a certain amount of time on the iPad, I.e. 20 minutes and then fail to see my boundary through by being distracted by something else. Having the app set up to limit the children automatically works well.

•How user-friendly did you find ScreenLimit?

I found it difficult to use at first but I contacted customer services and had an amazingly quick and helpful response.

•What did you think about the rewards system?

I do not like the idea of giving incentives for using the devices in our house, if anything I would like to reduce the time they use them and their addiction to using them!

•What does ScreenLimit do really well?

It provides a useful service by automatically limiting time on devices. It is very helpful for parents and carers.

•Are there any other features that you would like to see?

An easy to access instruction manual/user guide would be handy.

Non tester
has to be you tube in our house

Non tester and afraid it's YouTube here also-my ds (7) loves to watch others playing mine craft & talking about playing games!

Non tester: you tube

Non-Tester - has to be YOU TUBE

Non-tester : bbc iplayer. DC6 cannot find what she wants on YouTube yet and I'm not about to show her and end up with her watchig endless dancing dog videos!

I downloaded the app and started the initial setup procedure. I then put the app on my daughters tablet and tried to log in, so I could use the specific features. However, I couldn't seem to log in - probably my fault, knowing me, but when I used the 'forgotten password' link nothing was sent to my email address. I've been really busy at work and wasn't able to chase this up. Probably a really useful app, I just didn't get the chance to use it; I need things to be quick and simple. As I say, probably my fault!

Non-tester

You tube - the kids are on it endlessly watching Minecraft videos

Non tester - my boys are obsessed with YouTube. It drives me up the wall.

Non-tester - Youtube. Despite putting in restrictions on both you tube and tablet they still access clips which are not necessarily appropriate for their age. The worst bit is the recommended videos that sits beside their main video search.

Non Tester

Another vote for YouTube, you just have to be really careful what they are watching!

Non tester - definitely YouTube! We have a Kindle Fire which we can put a time limit on the whole thing, but I would love to be able to just limit YouTube and allow my son to play more on educational games.

Non tester - another vote for Youtube as both the most used and misused app!

NON TESTERS - The most used app in our house by all 3 of my boys is without a doubt Youtube, second most used is Minecraft!

Non tester
My children sit on CITV watching endless back to back episodes of their favourite programmes!

non-tester My son is continually on Roblox at the moment building worlds and creating things, I feel I dont know enough about what he is doing or who he is chatting with online and as much as I am continually renforcing the safe internet rules with him I do still worry about what he is getting up to online he's 11 years old

Here are a few more messages from ScreenLimit:

"Dear Superoz,

Thanks for testing ScreenLimit.

We are constantly improving the app and so your feedback is very useful, we will look into the niggles with icon size and delay in credits being awarded to see how we can improve.

We are developing a way to be able to manage individual apps on Apple and also a MAC version. If you would like to be one of the first to trial this then please contact me at [email protected].

Kind regards,

Jeremy Drayton
CEO ScreenLimit"

From ScreenLimit:

"Dear Bec0mum,

Thanks for testing ScreenLimit, your feedback is very useful.

We are working on an improved set up process which should be up and running in a couple of weeks. I'm really glad that you found our customer service quick and helpful, we work hard to ensure our users have the best possible support available.

With regards to your comment on the rewards system, one of our expert advisers recommend that screen time should not be taken for granted and that children should earn it. So some of our users don't give any screen time to their children until they have completed a set of tasks. Clearly all parents deal with the issue in different ways and we have plenty of related articles on our blog www.screenlimit.net/blog.

With regards to a help manual please go to www.screenlimit.net/help where you will see a range of articles to help with set up - this we are also improving.

Please don't hesitate in contacting me at [email protected] if you have any further queries.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Drayton
CEO ScreenLimit"

From ScreenLimit:

"Dear Suzi2910

Thanks for testing ScreenLimit, your feedback is very useful.

It sounds like you could have entered an incorrect email address on sign up, so when you tried to install in the second device the system didn't recognise your email and account. Did you receive a welcome email when you initially signed up? If not, that will be the problem.

We will update the sign up system in our next version release in a week or so to ensure that users need to confirm their email address on sign up.

If you email me at [email protected] I can check our system to see if there is a similar email account registered, but with perhaps one incorrect character. We can then get you properly up and running.

Kind regards,

Jeremy Drayton
CEO ScreenLimit"