A short and responsible use of the screen

How FamiTask is designed so kids spend little time with it, and a lot of time doing things.

Many families worry, rightly, about how much time kids spend in front of a screen. FamiTask doesn't want to hold their attention: it wants to help them do things on their own, in the real world. It's not a video game, a video platform, or a social network. It's a chart of routines and chores, like the paper ones families have always used, brought to the phone or tablet.

1Built for a few minutes, not for hours

The app is the nudge, not the place to stay. The child checks it to see what's next, starts the task, marks it done and sees the reward. That's a few minutes a day. The rest of the time, the tablet gets put down and the important part happens away from it: brushing teeth, getting dressed, tidying toys or packing a bag.

There's nothing to watch or unlock unless something happens away from the screen first.

2The voice guides, the eyes rest

Routines come step by step and can be read aloud. The child doesn't need to look at the screen while washing their hands or putting on pyjamas: the app tells them what's next and they just get on with it.

For kids who can't read yet there's a special mode: big pictures, little text, and a speaker icon on every task and reward.

3A bridge between parents and kids, not a substitute

FamiTask is meant to be used as a family: on an adult's phone or on a home tablet that the adult sets up. The grown-ups choose the tasks and the rewards, and approve what the kids do. The idea is to turn the morning rush and the bedtime battles into a shared game, with the parents in it.

4Real rewards, at home

FamiTask's coins don't buy anything inside the app or outside the house: they're only good for redeeming rewards that you offer. And those rewards are real experiences: choosing Friday's dinner, an extra bedtime story, building a blanket fort, or an afternoon at the park.

One piece of advice: avoid rewards that are "more screen time". That way the app never becomes the path to another screen.

5Privacy and a calm environment

No ads, no banners, no interrupting pop-ups.
No tricks to keep you hooked: no infinite lists, no videos that autoplay, no penalties for not opening it.
No third-party trackers. Data is kept in the European Union and never sold to anyone.
Only a name is kept for the child, which can be a nickname, plus what they do in the app. No photos, no date of birth, no email.

All the details are in the privacy policy.

What about blue light?

It's a very common worry. As far as we know today, there's no solid evidence that blue light from screens damages eyesight under normal use. What is well documented is that using screens before bed can delay sleep, both because of the light and because of what it stimulates.

That's why, for the bedtime routine, we suggest:

Turning on the tablet's night light filter or night mode (it's in the display settings) and lowering the brightness.
Turning on voice for the bedtime routine and leaving the tablet in a fixed spot, away from the bed.
Charging the tablet outside the bedroom.

And as a general reference, here are the World Health Organization's recommendations on sedentary screen time:

Under 2 yearsNo screen time at all.

2 to 4 yearsNo more than 1 hour a day; less is better.

Source: WHO, "Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age" (2019). For any doubts about your children's eyesight or sleep, the best move is to ask their paediatrician.

Anything unclear, or missing something? Write to us at famitask@lienzovirtual.com: we read every message.