We’ve all been there. You set a limit on Roblox, the timer goes off, and suddenly your kid is a world-class litigator explaining why that specific round of "BedWars" shouldn't count toward their daily quota. Or worse, you realize they’ve spent the last three hours watching "Skibidi Toilet" edits on YouTube because they found a way to "ignore limit for today."

OurPact is different. It’s a cross-platform parental control app that works on both iOS and Android, but its superpower is MDM (Mobile Device Management). This is the same tech companies use to manage thousands of employee iPhones. When you tell OurPact to block an app, it doesn't just gray out the icon or show a "Time's Up" screen. It removes the app icon from the phone entirely. It’s gone. Poof.

For a kid, this is the ultimate "Ohio" moment (if you aren't fluent in Gen Alpha, "Ohio" basically means weird or cringe). To them, it feels like their phone is glitching out, but for you, it means the boundary is actually a boundary.

Kids hate OurPact because it is effective. There is no negotiating with a vanished app. When "Bedtime" hits at 8:30 PM, TikTok, Snapchat, and Brawl Stars simply cease to exist on their device.

The only things left are the apps you’ve "whitelisted"—usually the boring stuff like the Phone, Settings, and maybe Duolingo if you’re feeling generous about their streak.

This creates a "set it and forget it" environment. You don't have to be the bad guy who physically pries the iPad out of their hands; the software does the dirty work for you. However, this can lead to some initial friction. Be prepared for the "My phone is broken!" screams the first week you install it.

Ask our chatbot about how to handle the initial pushback from your kids

If there’s one "no-BS" thing you need to know, it’s this: The setup is a bit of a pain.

To get the "unbreakable" version of OurPact on an iPhone or iPad, you have to use something called OurPact Connect. This requires you to plug the kid’s device into a computer (Mac or PC) via a USB cable. You’ll follow a series of steps to install a management profile.

If you just download the app from the App Store and don't do the computer setup, your kid will delete the app in approximately four seconds. The MDM profile is what makes it "unbreakable." If they try to delete the management profile, you get an immediate alert, and you can set it so the phone basically locks down.

Check out our guide on how to set up OurPact Connect

This is where you decide which apps are "always allowed" and which are "blocked." You can group them. Maybe Minecraft and Roblox are in a "Games" group that has a strict 1-hour limit, while Spotify is allowed all day for homework music.

You can create custom schedules for "School," "Homework," and "Bedtime." During these times, the phone automatically transitions to the profile you’ve created. It’s great for making sure they aren't checking Instagram in the middle of Algebra.

This is the most used feature for most parents. If you’re at a restaurant and they’re being particularly "extra," or if they’ve finished their chores early, you can hit "Play" to grant an extra 30 minutes of Fortnite time manually. Conversely, if things are going south, one tap of the "Pause" button kills all the fun apps instantly.

If you opt for the Premium+ tier, you get access to "View." This periodically takes encrypted screenshots of your child’s screen and sends them to you. Warning: This is where the "intentional parenting" part comes in. This feature can feel like a massive invasion of privacy for older teens. Use it for "training wheels" for 10-year-olds, but maybe back off as they get older and earn your trust.

Learn more about the ethics of monitoring your child's screen

At this age, kids are often just getting their first devices. They don't have the impulse control to stop scrolling YouTube Shorts. OurPact is perfect here. It sets the ground rules early. You can use the "View" feature to occasionally check if they’ve stumbled into "brain rot" content or if they’re actually playing Minecraft with friends.

This is when they start caring about privacy and social standing. They need Snapchat to talk to friends, but they might not need it at 11 PM. OurPact allows you to be the "manager" rather than the "spy." Set a hard cutoff for social media at night to protect their sleep.

By 16, if you’re still using the "View" feature to look at their screenshots, you’re probably damaging the relationship. At this stage, OurPact should mostly be used for "Bedtime" schedules to help them manage their own sleep hygiene, or perhaps not used at all if they’ve proven they can handle their digital life.

A lot of parents ask: "Why pay for OurPact when Apple Screen Time is free?"

The No-BS Answer: Apple Screen Time is notoriously glitchy. Limits often reset themselves, or kids find "hacks" on TikTok to bypass them. Also, if you have a "mixed" household (you have an iPhone, they have an Android tablet), Apple Screen Time won't help you. OurPact works across both, allowing you to manage everything from one dashboard.

Before you install this, have a "family meeting." Don't just sneak it onto their phone. Explain that the digital world is designed by thousands of engineers to be addictive, and OurPact is a tool to help the whole family stay balanced.

Also, be aware of the "Entrepreneurship" trap. Some parents think Roblox is teaching their kids how to code or run a business. While that can be true, it’s often just a vacuum for your bank account. OurPact can help you limit the time they spend in these "freemium" loops so they don't spend five hours trying to get a legendary pet in Adopt Me!.

OurPact is for the parent who wants to stop being the "Screen Time Police" and let the software handle the enforcement. It’s powerful, it’s a bit of a chore to set up, and your kids will definitely complain about it. But in a world where apps are designed to keep us scrolling forever, it’s one of the few tools that actually works to create a hard stop.

Ask our chatbot for a customized screen time contract for your family