Until a couple months ago, I had no reason to worry about my [almost] four-year-old son accessing content I’d rather he not see on the internet…until he was gifted an iPad. Not only did his LeapPad Ultra (which didn’t allow him to surf the web) get pushed to the side, but a true screen addiction began.

After having D answer a couple of my phone calls on his iPad (super stressful because they were about our mortgage application), and several tantrums over screen time, I instituted the use of an egg timer. Based on behavior, my son was allotted 15-30 minute increments on his iPad, and when the bell rang, he was to turn it over. Then I was introduced to OurPact.

In under 5 minutes, I was able to upload the OurPact app, register an account, install the app on D’s iPad and begin scheduling, or granting, screen time for D and his tablet. If you really want to drive your kiddo nuts, select the block feature from your device — all of my kiddo’s apps disappeared from his iPad (I was able to restore them before the waterworks began).

The best part of OurPact is that you, as a parent, are able to manage your children’s devices from any internet-enabled device. Away from home and the sitter texts you to let you know your kiddo is misbehaving? With the touch of a button you’re able to take away their internet privileges! Ah, the control. Seriously, my egg timer is a great example of how little I rely on technology (I still use a paper planner and handwrite checks to pay bills), but OurPact really is a great way to manage your children’s screen time. Maybe I’ll explain why D’s iPad “stops working” when he gets older, but right now, the whole, “I don’t know why it’s doing that, I think you need to give it a rest” bit works.

Want to make sure that your children only use their phones for emergency calls during school hours, or have no distractions in the evening during homework time or bedtime? You’re able to block out times when apps (including social media) or internet access is disabled from your children’s devices. While I don’t have a teenager, I can definitely see how this can come in handy for enforcing internet rules of usage and safety.

Those of you with older children will appreciate the OurPact Family Contract, easily downloaded and printed from the website. Since open communication is one of the best ways to keep your child safe online, print out the contract and have a discussion with your pre-teen or teen before signing. Questions can be addressed in the conversation, so there are no grey areas in the future.

Now that you’re excited about all of the benefits OurPact offers, I have something even more exciting to share with you — the app is FREE! Yes, you can download the OurPact app for free, available for iPhone, and features a Web app for parents to easily access from any device. OurPact is able to manage your children’s iOS and Android devices. Don’t wait to have the conversation with your children, download the OurPact app and contract, and get started.

You can discover more about OurPact by visiting them at OurPact.com, and staying up-to-date the latest news and updates via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Don’t have a tablet, but want to test OurPact on one? Enter this giveaway for an iPad Air, sponsored by OurPact:

OurPact iPad Air2 Giveaway

*This post is sponsored by OurPact; all opinions expressed are my own.