It is one of the greatest challenges facing parents today: how many hours of the day is my child glued to their smartphone screen, and how are they using that time?

A Toronto-based company has unveiled the next generation parental control solution to selectively block their children’s app and Internet access based on a schedule. The technology – redgreentree – is created by parents for parents, and is designed to combat the harmful effects of smartphone misuse and distraction, without invading the child’s privacy.

“We have transformed the smartphone and tablet,” says Nicholas Minovski, co-founder of redgreentree. “What was once a distraction is now a purpose-driven tool.”

With the technology, parents can rest assured their child will not be distracted by social media, streaming media or games while at school or during bedtime.

“It’s not entirely the child’s fault they spend so much time on their devices,” Minovski says. “Apps are designed to be addictive and engaging. The objective with this new app is to assist parents in overseeing how their children are using new technologies. It is more about promoting communication and collaboration with the children, giving parents a tool in helping to educate.”

Key features of the new technology include:

• Simple and intuitive family management via a dashboard, allowing parents and caregivers to quickly and remotely manage when their children can spend time on certain apps on their mobile devices
• Schedules that enforce time management skills (school, homework, dinner, bedtime or even piano)
• Application blocking that can be done at the individual app level or by category, both of which can be applied to a schedule
• Multiple administrators, including school teachers, unlimited number of schedules and application-specific blocking
• Family messaging to ensure ongoing communication and organization

The app is available for download at the Google Play store, and costs $2.49 on a monthly plan, with bi-yearly and annual plans at a discounted rate.

About redgreentree:
Created by parents for parents, redgreentree was conceived through first-hand experiences and the desire to create a viable solution that leverages classical parenting and addresses the parent/child technology gap. Redgreentree is focused on the development of the family unit in an ever-increasing technical world. Social responsibility is central to the company’s beliefs, which is why redgreentree defines success a bit differently than most companies. The spirit of redgreentree comes to life by sharing in any successes. The company believes in giving back to communities, so a portion of proceeds from sales of the app will be donated to children’s charities. “You can feel good knowing that your subscription is helping manage your child’s technology and making a positive impact in the lives of other children,” says Minovski. For more information on the company visit www.redgreentree.com