Part of the Guided Childhood operating system
"What if your child's search history was trying to tell you something?"
Upload their data. See the patterns. Find out what the app is teaching them, before it turns into a problem.
It is not screen time that shapes how kids turn out. It is the path they go down.
We found 4 signals across 2 apps.
Most parents are looking in the wrong place.
You have been told to watch the clock. But the hours do not tell you what your child is searching for. They do not tell you what your child watches over and over. And they do not tell you what the app is quietly learning about your child.
Two kids can spend the same time online. One learns something, talks to a friend, and logs off. The other scrolls, compares, and loses sleep. Same hours. Very different result.
The hours are not the problem. The pattern is. And the real question is whether that pattern is slowly getting worse.
What screen time tells you
- Total hours online
- How long each app is open
- Time of day
- Nothing about what they see
What this shows you
- What they search for
- What they watch over and over
- What it takes the place of
- What the app is learning
- Whether it is getting worse
How harm really happens.
Look at the cases that made the news. Again and again, the child was already going through something before social media came into it. A worry. Low mood. A hard time at home or at school. Feeling left out.
Social media did not start the problem. But it found it. The app saw what the child kept watching, and it served up more of the same. A small worry grew. A bad day became a bad month. By the time anyone close noticed, the pattern had been building for a long time.
This is the part most parents never get to see. It is hidden inside the feed.
While there is still time
Guided Childhood reads those same patterns and shows them to you early, before a quiet worry turns into a crisis. You see what the feed is doing while you can still step in.
The words, then the steps
It gives you simple words to bring it up gently, and clear steps to shift the habit. You are not guessing what to say or what to do next.
And flags what may be behind it
It helps spot what might be driving the trouble. If something looks serious, it says so plainly and gives you a GP summary so you can get real help fast.
It spots the risk, helps you get seen sooner, and tells you what to do.
Not just a score. It gives you a clear path, the same way Guided Childhood walks you through devices one stage at a time.
It looks for what you cannot see
It reads the real patterns in your child's data. Late nights, endless scrolling, sad or worrying searches, and the way the app keeps pushing more of the same. Then it flags what needs a closer look. Anything serious is always shown clearly, and never hidden behind payment.
A report that helps you get seen sooner
Every report comes with a short summary written for your doctor. It puts the patterns in words a GP or CAMHS team will take seriously. So you are not stuck waiting many months in the dark for help to arrive.
Know exactly what to switch out
You get emails that tell you which channels and creators to swap, based on how old your child is. They point to better options in the kind of videos your child already likes. So you are offering something good, not just saying no.
How to bring it up, and how to fix it
You get scripts for the hard chat. How to raise a touchy subject so it does not turn into a row, and the simple steps to change the habit. All based on what the report found, not generic tips.
Cambridge research by Amy Orben points to ages 11 to 13 as the riskiest window. This is when social media has its strongest link to lower happiness, and the effect is stronger for girls. The advice based on age is built around windows just like this.
It is not the content. It is the pattern.
Social media learns fast. Once it works out what your child reacts to, it gives them more of it. Quietly. Over and over. Without them noticing.
Late nights
Using apps after midnight points to poor sleep and habits that are hard to break.
Endless scrolling
Lots of watching and very little posting is linked to comparing yourself to others and feeling worse.
Comparing
Content that puts pressure on body image, or sets off a loop of comparing with friends.
Scary climate content
Seeing climate doom content over and over, in kids aged 8 to 16.
Worrying language
Searches or content that hint at low mood or feeling unsafe.
Long binges
Long sessions with no break that take the place of sleep, moving, and time with people.
Pulling away
Less real chatting with people, swapped for watching alone.
Content drift
When the app slowly pushes more extreme or more negative stuff.
If the tool spots something serious, like searches about self harm or other high risk patterns, it shows it clearly. It is never hidden behind payment. Some things are too important to miss. If a serious flag comes up, we always tell you to speak to a professional.
Three steps. One clear picture.
Tell us about your child
Answer 6 short questions so the tool knows your child's age, their home setup, and anything you have already noticed.
Upload their history
Safely upload your child's data from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or their browser history. No logins. No ongoing access.
Get your report
You get a clear report. The patterns, the signals, the alerts, and what to do next. Written for parents, not experts.
No clutter. No noise. Just a clear picture.
Here is what you actually see. Every part of the live report.
Signal Score
One clear number for how healthy the pattern is, so you can tell at a glance if it needs attention.
Pattern Detection
Late nights, long binges, endless scrolling, pulling away, and upsetting content. All found and explained simply.
Critical Alerts
Shown clearly, never buried, so you never miss what matters most.Always free, never behind payment
Monthly Shift
See if things are getting better, staying the same, or slowly getting worse, month by month.Monthly plan
What the App Has Learned
See what the app has worked out about your child, and what it keeps pushing at them.
Priority Actions
Five clear, simple things to do next, based on your child's own patterns. No generic advice.
Content Diet
How much of the feed is passive watching, late night use, body image content, scary news, or real creating.
Creator Swaps
Better creators in the kinds of videos your child already likes, so you can offer something good instead of just saying no.
All Your Apps, One Picture
One report across every app your child uses, instead of four separate ones.Monthly plan
A report your doctor will actually understand.
Every report comes with a one page summary written for your GP or CAMHS team. It lays out the patterns in plain clinical words, so your worry is taken seriously from the very first visit.
months. That is the current wait to be seen by CAMHS across the country. Getting in earlier, with a clear report, can make a real difference.
Insight across a whole year group. No single child's data.
The school version is built very differently, and on purpose. Schools do not need a report on one child. They need to see what is happening across year groups, help keep pupils safe, and shape lessons around what kids are really seeing.
Grouped, anonymous insight
See content trends across year groups without ever touching one child's data. Built to follow GDPR.
Safeguarding support
Give your safeguarding lead a clearer view of the online world your pupils live in, so decisions are better informed.
Lessons built on real data
See which apps, content types, and risks show up most, then build digital lessons around real evidence.
GP referral path
GP practices can point parents to Guided Childhood during visits about a child's mental health, with GP ready reports that make referrals clearer.
Start with a clear picture. Stay ahead over time.
This is not another parent control app. It is a way to understand what is really going on.
One report is a snapshot. The patterns that matter most, the ones that show if things are getting better or worse, only show up over time. Monthly access runs up to 4 reports a month and tracks the trend for you, so you can see the real direction of travel. Run more than one report and it works out cheaper per report too.
Monthly Access
Full access with up to 4 in depth social media analyses per month.
- Up to 4 reports per month
- Minimum 7 days between reports
- Cancel anytime
- Email report notifications
Single Report
Purchase one report credit. No commitment, pay when you need it.
- 1 report credit
- No subscription required
- Pay as you go
- Credit never expires
Most parents only notice a change once it shows up in real life. This helps you see it sooner.
Founders offer: the first parents to join get founder perks and priority support. Ask about it
Built for clear heads. Not for fear.
The signals we look for come from trusted, peer reviewed research by leading experts on how young people grow up well.
Watching vs taking part
Scrolling without taking part is tied to comparing yourself to others, lower self worth, and worse mental health. Making things and talking to people is not. This is why we track how much is just watching.
Orben and Przybylski, Oxford Internet InstituteiGen and rising anxiety
Kids born between 1995 and 2012 show more depression, anxiety, and loneliness than any group before them, with a clear jump in 2012. Boys and girls differ, which is why we set limits by age and gender.
Jean Twenge, San Diego State UniversityContext matters more than hours
A child's history, money worries at home, and a hard home life predict harm more than screen hours alone. Looking at context first avoids false alarms.
Candice Odgers, UC IrvineClimate worry in children
Climate worry is real and can be measured in kids aged 8 to 16. Seeing scary climate content over and over can add to worries they already carry.
Susan Clayton, College of WoosterNot a diagnosis tool
We spot patterns, not labels. This is early insight to help you understand what might be going on. It is not a medical assessment.
Guided ChildhoodFrequently asked.
Is this diagnosing my child?
No. The report points out patterns, not medical labels. If it flags something like worrying language in a search history, it is showing you a pattern that needs attention, not making a medical call. It helps you understand things sooner, so you can stay calm and get the right support. If a serious flag comes up, we always say to speak to a professional.
How is this different from parent controls?
Parent controls block or watch in real time. This looks back at past patterns to show what the app has already learned about your child. You get insight, not spying. No ongoing access, no app on their phone, no live tracking.
Why do I need to upload their data?
The patterns that matter most are not visible from the outside. What they search, what they rewatch, how late they stay on. Every app lets you download your own data, which is your right under GDPR. We walk you through how to get it. You never need your child's login.
Which apps does it work with?
Right now: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and browser history. You can upload one app or all of them. The more you add, the more accurate the report.
Is my child's data private?
Yes. The raw files are deleted as soon as we have checked them. We only keep the basic results from the analysis. Your child's data is never kept past that, never shared, and never sold. Privacy is built into how it works, not just promised.
Do I need to be techy to use it?
No. The whole thing is built for parents, not tech experts. We give step by step help for getting the data from each app. Most parents finish in under 10 minutes.
Should I tell my child I am doing this?
That is your call as a parent. Many do this as a first check before deciding whether and how to talk. The report gives you a clear picture first, so if you do talk, you do it from a place of knowing, not worry.
Get your child's Digital Health Report today.
Run your first report and see the full picture. The patterns, the signals, and what to do next.