These days many kids use their devices for schoolwork and for play (hopefully only playing at home!) If this is the case then this article helps you set up the two modes of operation.

If your kids have locked-down school devices that can ONLY be used for school work, then you may only want to have one mode for general playtime.


This article includes 

  • Blocking access to “fun time” mode during school hours and even allowing access time earlier if they wake up early

  • Having a “holiday” mode that you can enable/disable per user on public holidays & term break

  • Using ScreenCoach at school with a school mode

  • Blocking Apps in school mode



To help manage kids on holidays differently from normal school days, we recommend having two modes with different access times available.


For our 14-year-old daughter, during school term, we have restricted her fun mode's “allowed access times” to stop 45 mins before she needs to leave for school in the morning, and allow after-school time until bedtime.

See the image below, where the dark blue colour is when they can use devices.

 

 


We have a “Holiday mode” set up that we “enable” for public holidays and term holidays, then “disable” when she goes back to school. This holiday mode allows her to use it during the weekdays and a bit later on weekday nights night as well.



Did you know that you can enable a mode for a specific child and not for another?
This image shows her two modes where we disabled holiday mode just for our daughter when her older brother was still on holidays, so his holiday mode stayed on.




Managing your child’s Mac/PC for schoolwork!

If your child uses the same PC at school as they do at home for playing, you could create a third mode called “schoolwork” from 8:45 - 3:30 and apply a Time Multiple of Zero.

This means if they use this mode for 6 hours while at school, it will be 6:00 x 0 = Zero time off their daily time allowance or tokens! Meaning it won't affect their valuable playtime ?.


As a bonus, you can block applications for schoolwork mode, like Steam and Roblox, on that device. 


In order to have ScreenCoach help at school, you will need permission to install the ScreenCoach App on the school device.  If the School PCs/Macs are locked down, and you can't install any apps on them, we can help convince your school’s IT department to allow it if you pass on their contact details.


To block Desktop apps in a mode 

It is a 2 step process

  1. Add apps into app categories
  2. use the app categories in the modes to block your chosen app categories
    • eg block games & social media apps

See Mode App Blocking : Advanced Feature



View this article in a new tab