🦉Young OWL
Current age mode: tween (Explorer)
Family safety

Agreed together, not switched on behind their back.

Project OWL does not track anyone. This page explains how the safety features families actually use should be set up — with consent — and points you at the official tools that do the job properly.

Why we don't build our own tracker. Apple, Google and Microsoft already provide location sharing, screen time and parental controls at the operating-system level, with the child's knowledge. A third-party app duplicating that would mean more data collected, less reliability and a worse consent story. We explain and link to theirs instead.
Location sharing

Both people can see each other's location, and both know it is on.

Agree it like this: Agree who can see what, when it is on (journeys, nights out) and when it is off. Reciprocal sharing — the adult shares too — is what keeps it feeling fair.
Watch out: One-way, hidden tracking predicts secrecy, not safety. Children who find hidden tracking usually respond by getting a second device.
Geofencing

An automatic 'arrived at school' or 'left home' notification instead of a live map.

Agree it like this: Pick two or three places that genuinely reduce worry — school, a grandparent's, the sports club. Tell your child exactly which places are set.
Watch out: Alerts on every shop and friend's house turns into noise and feels like surveillance. Fewer zones works better.
Check-in reminders

A prompt to send a short 'I'm here' message at an agreed time.

Agree it like this: Set the times together and agree what happens if a check-in is missed — call first, escalate second. A missed check-in is usually a flat battery.
Watch out: Punishing a missed check-in trains a child to avoid the system entirely.
SOS

One press calls emergency services and alerts chosen contacts with a location.

Agree it like this: Practise it once so it is muscle memory. Explain the difference between 999 and 101, and the silent 999 route (call 999, then press 55).
Watch out: Do not rely on an app-only SOS. The built-in phone SOS works on a locked phone and with no signal bars.
Trusted contacts

Three named adults a child can reach if a parent is unreachable or is part of the problem.

Agree it like this: Write the names and numbers down somewhere physical. Confirm each adult has said yes.
Watch out: A single trusted adult is a single point of failure. Always name more than one.
The agreement itself

A written, signed family agreement that both sides can point back to.

Agree it like this: Review it every school term and when a new device arrives. Let the child ask for changes — that is the point.
Watch out: Rules imposed without discussion get worked around within weeks.

Official family tools, honestly compared

What each one genuinely does, and what it cannot do whatever the marketing says.

Apple Family Sharing & Screen Time
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch
Can do
  • · Screen Time limits and Downtime
  • · Ask to Buy for purchases
  • · Location sharing via Find My
  • · Communication Safety (nudity detection warnings, on-device)
  • · App and content age ratings
Cannot do
  • · Read message content for a parent
  • · Cover Android or Windows devices
  • · Stop a determined teen from using a friend's device

Set up: Settings → your name → Family, then Settings → Screen Time.

Official setup guide →
Google Family Link
Android, Chromebook, some Google services
Can do
  • · App approval and time limits
  • · Device bedtime and lock
  • · Location sharing for the child's device
  • · SafeSearch and YouTube content settings
  • · App activity summaries
Cannot do
  • · Filter every browser or in-app content perfectly
  • · Manage iPhones fully
  • · Prevent account switching on shared hardware

Set up: Install Family Link and create or link a child Google Account.

Official setup guide →
Microsoft Family Safety
Windows, Xbox, Microsoft Edge, mobile apps
Can do
  • · Screen time across Windows and Xbox
  • · Web and search filtering in Edge
  • · Spending limits on the Microsoft Store
  • · Activity reporting the child can see too
  • · Optional driving and location features
Cannot do
  • · Filter non-Edge browsers
  • · Cover console play under another account
  • · Replace conversation about what is being played

Set up: family.microsoft.com, then add each child account.

Official setup guide →
Write your family agreementSet up trusted adultsScreen time plannerEmergency routes