Frequently Asked Questions

Fair question. Unfortunately the answer is surprising to many parents.

We gave a survey to high school students. The majority of respondents said they had screen time restrictions put on their phone by their parents. We then asked, "Have you ever gotten around screentime to view explicit content that was supposed to be blocked?" 85% said yes.

Unfortunately, screen time is very glitchy. It is a known problem, and there are many holes in it. There are many ways that every teen knows how to get around it — regardless of how strong you believe you set it.

One important bypass to know (but far from the only one), is that many parents are not aware that Twitter/X and Reddit allow for explicit content, and are therefore full of it. As they are not categorized as "adult websites" Apple doesn't block them. (Up to 44% of teens report using social media as their platform to view pornography!) Even if you block those, please do not assume the device is safe.

Unfortunately, too many kids have approached us asking for a filter and when asked why they didn't already have one, they responded with, "My parents trust me." These are good kids, sweet kids, responsible kids. This is not a trust issue. It is a nature issue.

A filter is not a statement that a kid is bad. It is an admission that the modern internet is powerful, and children are no match for the billions of dollars invested to pull them in.

Today's kids can encounter the most explicit material ever created at one of the most impressionable stages of their lives. Education is simply not enough. Good choices matter. Character matters. Self-control matters. But the environment matters too. We would never tell our kids to drive safely and then remove the traffic lights, seat belts, speed limits, and supervision. Digital life needs guardrails too.

(See video here)

Many are turned off from filtering their devices due to previous negative experiences. Thank G-d, filtering technology has evolved tremendously in just the past few years, and continues to improve each month. The main filter we use is called MB Smart. It does not slow down the phone or affect battery life. Thousands can attest to that truth.

Many have also had bad experiences due to over-blocking. That technology has gotten much stronger as well. More often than not, the issue is due to the settings being configured too strictly when the filter was initially put on.

We are here to set up the filter the way you want it, and are confident you will be happy.

Of course, if there's any issue it can be turned off remotely.

We strongly believe in never giving a child a device without a proper filter and restrictions. We also believe that once a teenager reaches high school and is used to having an open phone, it is a losing battle to force them to filter it. The opportunity was lost. If it becomes a fight, they will find a way around it — in addition to it hurting your relationship, which is shown to be the biggest factor in determining whether a teen will make the right decisions.

Nevertheless, an even greater opportunity can be utilized to educate and inspire them to choose the filter on their own, which many students do.

The other added benefit is that when a teen chooses a filter, they own that decision. They are bought in and invested in it. If a parent puts a filter on their child's device — more often than not — when the child reaches a certain age, that filter will come off. If a lower-level filter was originally chosen by the teen themself, that filter will stay on for life.

The instinct of many is to say, "learn some self control." We should teach them useful skills, and a filter is one piece of a much broader puzzle. But technology addiction (half of teens report being "addicted" to their phones) has been proven to manipulate the brain the same way that illicit drugs do. We would never tell a serious alcohol user that it's okay to keep a cabinet full of the liquor in his room, to stare at it when he's lonely, anxious, or stressed — "just control yourself." We know that would be terrible advice. The first step is to remove yourself from the test. While we've heard many parents argue this, research data continues to show "self-control" is not enough.

The difficulty millions of people have in putting their phones down is not a failure of willpower. It is a predictable result of some of the most sophisticated behavioral engineering ever applied to our technology.

There is no such thing as a foolproof filter system. That being said, we are very confident in the filter we use. In our follow-up survey, no student has yet reported bypassing it; even after getting around every other filter they've had previously.

We are also not naive and know that a filter is one piece of a much bigger puzzle which includes extensive education and family connection.

Even if one were able to get around it, there is a huge benefit in the friction that filters cause, allowing one to pause and “consider before consuming”, not allowing one to be hijacked by algorithms and immediate temptations.

It is crucial to have a filter on every device in the house.

After running multiple filter drives, students were asked in a follow-up survey if they struggle with viewing explicit content on other devices at home. Sadly, 20% said yes. Without a deep understanding of the power and pull of the internet, many parents find it hard to believe that their child would go against their back and use their personal phone at night or dig up an old family device that was thrown in a closet long ago.

Unfortunately, we have heard from too many students who are silently struggling. They are too ashamed to tell their parents to “change the passcode on their phone” or “filter their younger siblings computer” or “get rid of that old work phone that you think barely works”.

Every device needs a filter. To our kids, anything else is just not fair.

Know that your child is normal.

Research shows that while feeling guilt can motivate healthy change, feeling shame actually fuels problematic habits. Shame actually predicted increased pornography consumption. Shame is the painful feeling that says something about me is unwanted or unworthy of love or belonging. That is far from a recipe for change and growth. At that moment what your child needs is compassion, understanding, and love. They need to know and feel that you're there for them, ready to talk, and wanting to help.