How to set study time and a bedtime lock on a child's phone or tablet

What a schedule does

A schedule is a window of time with its own rules. Instead of asking a child to put the phone down, you let the device change what it allows. At 6 pm the games disappear and the learning apps stay. At 10 pm the device switches to a night set of apps, or locks.

Skie runs these on the device itself. Rules are cached, so the schedule keeps working when the internet drops.

Setting up the windows

• Pick the days: school days and weekends can differ
• Set a start and an end time, which may run overnight
• Choose allowed apps for that window
• Order matters: the first matching window wins
• Preview the impact before you save

Three windows most families use

Study time

Make the study window narrow: only the apps your child needs. A child who sees only a calculator, a notes app and a textbook app cannot drift to video halfway through. For exam time, tighten the list further, then loosen it afterwards. A reminder in the family agreement helps: the schedule is not a punishment, it is a rule everyone knows.

Extra apps for a single lesson or project can be added in one step and removed afterwards.

Bedtime lock

A bedtime window can lock the device fully, or allow calls only so your child can reach you. Windows can run past midnight. Devices that are not charged in the child's room sleep better too, so you may choose to pair the lock with a family habit of charging in the hall.

Skie locks date and time to automatic, so changing the clock cannot dodge a window. There is also a remote lock, if you need to lock the device immediately.

What is not available yet

Daily screen time limits, per-app time limits and usage reports are not available yet. Skie covers part of this need today with schedules, which change which apps are allowed at set times. The team is working on limits and reports, with no dates. If you need minute counting now, Google Family Link offers it; see Google Family Link explained.

Skie does not yet send alerts by email. Check the dashboard for status.

Examples that families actually use

A common pattern for a school-age child is a school-day window until mid-afternoon with calls, maps and school apps, a study block in the early evening with learning apps and reading only, a free window until dinner, and a bedtime lock that runs overnight. Weekends use a wider free window and a later bedtime.

For a younger child, the study window can be the only time the tablet is on at all. For a teenager, the window can be shorter and the allowed list longer, with a note in the family agreement that it is a joint decision.

Hostel students use a night mode that keeps calls open. The same idea works at home when a child needs to phone a parent but should not be scrolling at midnight.

Troubleshooting a schedule

• Windows are checked in order, and the first match wins. Put the specific windows first
• An overnight window runs past midnight, so set the end time for the next morning
• Remember the allowed apps are per window, not global
• Use the effective policy view to see what applies right now
• If a child is locked out of an app they need, add it to that window and apply

Frequently asked questions