I think that this is a good concept being used the wrong way. I feel like the app should be strictly for emergencies and should work both ways (if it doesn't already). I mean, what if this kid is at the movie theater and all-of-a-sudden his phone starts screeching "WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR DINNER?" I'd be pretty mortified, lol

I'm afraid this app can and will be used (if it's not already) by abusive partner and exacerbate domestic violence. In those relationships, "both parts have to agree on installing the app" worth nothing. The abusive and manipulative partner will find the way through the other person's phone then use the app to exert its power. When you listen to survivors you get how technologie can get used to inflict physical and psychological suffering.

Parenting based on trust is more sustainable. That your private phone is infiltrated by an authority and all you can do is to accept it is a pretty bad lesson and a trailblazer for the surveillance stare, even if the authority in this case are the parents.

Yikes! There's a lot of ways this could go wrong. How about you have a good relationship with your children so they will automatically answer you anyway. If my parents did this to me, I would hate them.

This is not well thought out, big yikes, how about a good relationship with your kid so that they will answer your texts on their own? And the noise idea is absolutely horrible. The kid could be driving; or at a library, movie theatre, or anywhere else where phones should be kept on silent. What a parent has to say to their kid is the kids business, other people nearby don’t need to hear a nonstop ringer if they’re trying to study, enjoy a film, etc. Or even in the most unlikely of cases where the kid is trying to hide from a threat and the phone goes off, that could be a big issue. Not to mention how helpful this would be to abusive partners, doesn’t matter if both parties must agree. Abusive partners are called abusive for a reason, that could easily be bypassed

No, just no. Teach your kid to answer to you and don't expect them either to be at your disposal 24/7. They are living beings that do stuff like cinema, friends meetings, playing games together and evey other activity. Acknowledge that and teach them to asnwer as soon as they can. There are other ways to engage emergency communication than this I think.

This is a pretty foolproof way to make sure you lower your kid's opinion of you VERY drastically!

How about an App that requires the receiver to answer the text before he can do anything else, but without the alarm?

Helicopter parents raise perfect liars. Plus, if the phone will keep on going even on silent, good luck going to the movies.

I love the idea of overlaying the message over everything else it's great, would work for emergencies. The fact that the alarm goes off is actually directly abusive because it voids my choice of keeping my phone on silent/vibrate. This is a classic there is nothing as important as me in my kids life ideology, there is nothing anyone needs to know which requires an instant response. This is intrusive and irritating (movies, dinner with friends or significant other) and can be dangerous (someone with a firearm in the vicinity). The fact that both parties need to agree to install is a minor inconvenience for the abuser in any relationship, this is literally a leash upon anyone. If you want to know where your kids are ask them, be polite and respectful to them and you will get the same. Such b******t abuse of technology isn't something to be resorted to. I'd really love it if app markets would ban this app, there is just too many cons and almost 0 pros for it to be of any use but abuse.

I have to make sure my boss never learns that this app exists X_x

I feel like disabling the apps ability to write/display over other apps would stop it. This is an actual setting on Android devices if you did not know.

I'm pretty young and honestly, this would be my first nightmare. My mom has pretty much everything blocked on my phone. I can't even open websites or sign into my email. It's also blocked every "social app" (and considers Spotify a social app). What I'm saying is that there are already enough ways to be overprotective of your kid's (Android) phone.

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Kids that didn't answer me in a reasonable timeframe lost the phone. The learning curve was steep and the lesson was learned very quickly.

the potential for parents to abuse (and get the kid in trouble depending on where they are) this and abusers to hurt their targets far outweighs the benefits of you feeling like you forced your kid to listen to you. this is a horrific idea.

What's next? Having your kids on a leash?

All this negative back lash is insane!!! Having a phone that a parent pays for is a privilege not a necessity. If the kids at the movies then the parent should already know that & would not use it. When my daughter ignores my text/call it is extremely disrespectful. This generation is full of spoiled brats & when they get out into the real world they're going to be in for a HUGE wake up call. Keep spoiling them but get ready to wake up to ur 30 yr old still living with you LOL

Overall I see nothing wrong with it if that's how you want your household to be (it would p**s me off as the kid though), but "Both parties have to agree to the app being installed and either can block the other," is nonsense. I guarantee 99% of the time it's so the parent can contact the kid, not the other way around and there's zero chance all of those kids think "Man, I need some discipline in calling my parents back. Thankfully this app forces me to".

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I would bet you anything that that dad used to be a transgender