Is a devotional app okay for my child's screen time?

It can be, if you stay involved. A calm app used together, for a set time and not as a babysitter, is very different from endless scrolling. Watch with your child, set a clear limit, and choose apps built without ads or distractions.

This is general parenting guidance, not medical advice. For questions about your child's health or development, speak to your paediatrician.

Does it matter what is on the screen?

Yes. Many parents find it helps to think about the kind of screen time, not just the minutes. Compare:

• Active and shared: a parent and child listening to a story together and talking about it.
• Passive and alone: a child tapping through videos while a parent is busy.

A devotional or story app is not automatically better or worse. What matters is how it is built and how you use it.

How can I co-view well?

1. Sit beside your child for at least the first few times.
2. Pause and talk. Ask "What did you like?" or "Why did he do that?"
3. Connect it to life. After a mantra or aarti, try it at the real puja or at the dinner table.
4. Let the screen end the day gently, with one story and then a book or conversation.

What time limits and routines work?

There is no single right number for every family. Many parents find these habits help:

• Decide the limit before opening the app, and tell your child.
• Use a timer or the app's own limit, so you are not the "bad guy" each time.
• Keep meals and bedtime screen-free, or limit the app to one calm story.
• Offer a replacement activity when time is up, such as lighting a diya or singing the aarti together.

Check current guidance from your paediatrician or your country's health body for age-appropriate limits.

What should I look for in a devotional app for children?

• No ads, so nothing pulls the child away from the content.
• No chat or social features for children.
• Clear privacy practices you can read in plain words.
• Content that ends instead of auto-playing forever.
• A separate grown-up area for settings and purchases.
• Named sources for stories, and ideally a reviewer.

What does Pratham Pranam promise?

Pratham Pranam publishes these promises in its Dadi Promise and child safety pages:

• No ads anywhere in the app.
• No third-party behavioural tracking.
• No chat or sharing for children.
• Stories that end when they end, with nothing to race or win.
• A grown-up area, opened only after a grown-up check, where a parent can set a daily time limit and a bedtime mode.
• Every story names its source and is read by a scholar before it reaches your child.

You should still read the Privacy Policy yourself and decide what fits your family.

Questions parents ask

Can a devotional app replace going to the mandir or a grandparent's stories?

No. It can support them, especially when family lives far away, but live time with elders and real rituals matter. See why grandparents' stories matter.

Is bedtime a good time for the app?

For many families a single calm story works well, as long as it has a clear end. Use a bedtime mode or timer so it does not stretch.

What if my child asks for more?

Acknowledge it kindly and offer something concrete: "One more tomorrow. Tonight let's sing the aarti."

Hear it on Pratham Pranam

Stories, mantras and aartis for ages 2 to 10, narrated in Hindi and English, are in the app. See how Pratham Pranam keeps children safe.

The iOS app is live. Try a calm, ad-free app and judge it for yourself. Download Pratham Pranam on the App Store. The Android app is coming soon.