Their first phone should ring, not scroll.

Meet , a home phone for your kid. Grandma calls, they come running. No feeds, no strangers, and it grows up when they do.

Free, and there’s room for everyone.

The kid's home phone ringing on a nightstand, between a lamp and a stack of books. Grandma's polaroid is on its screen, with buttons to pick up or say not now, and the red handset jumps off its cradle on a curly cord. Shelby the snail watches from the top of the books.

You grew up at a snail’s pace. Lucky you.

Kitchen phone to smartphone took 14 years, one step at a time. Your kid gets no steps at all.

You, born around 1988

  1. 5The kitchen phone
  2. 10A pager, if you were lucky
  3. 12Your first away message
  4. 16Your top friends
  5. 19Your first smartphone

Your kid, born around 2018

  1. No phone yet Shelby the snail at the foot of the cliff, looking up.
  2. 11Everything. All at once. Group chatsFeedsVideosLikes and followersStrangersNotificationsAds

You grew up one step at a time. So can they.

gives them the steps back.

One home phone, in their room. Like a shell, it grows a little at a time, when you say they’re ready.

Your kid, with

    Shell first. Cell later.

    The smartphone comes when you say. By then they’ve had years of practice. Fluent with technology. Not afraid of it, and not hooked on it.

    At bedtime, it sleeps too.

    You set the quiet hours. The ringer goes quiet, the screen goes dark, and Shelby the snail snores till morning.

    The same nightstand at night. The room is dark, the red handset rests on its cradle, and on the phone's nearly black screen Shelby the snail sleeps under a small moon, with a few stars and a Z drifting up.

    You say who. You say when.

    Every face on their phone is one you put there.

    Six cards held up by magnets. Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and a friend's sticker card each have a green check. The last card is an empty dashed outline: someone still waiting for a parent's OK.

    • You OK every caller

      Kids can invite friends. Nobody rings until you say yes.

    • They move up when you say

      Each step waits for you.

    • Nothing to scroll

      No feeds, ads, likes, or followers. At any step.

    • Nothing is kept

      Calls are never recorded. Drawings vanish at hang-up.

    • First names and stickers

      No last names, birthdays, or locations. Only grown-ups add a photo.

    • It can’t call 911

      Keep a real phone in the house for emergencies.

    Why I’m building this

    I’m the parent of a toddler, and I’m terrified of the harm social media can do to my child.

    I’m also a parent who grew up with screens: a television in the living room, the family computer in the rec room, and mobile phones when they arrived.

    I think a progression of technology is the key to building confidence in using it, without creating a mental reliance on it. So I’m building the steps, for my kid and for yours.

    Peter, founder and parent

    Questions parents ask

    Isn’t this just another screen?

    It shows faces, not feeds. No videos, no games, no web browser, and nothing to scroll. It’s a 7-inch touchscreen with a real handset, and it sits quietly in your kid’s room until someone calls.

    What age is it for?

    About 5 to 11. Stage 1 works before kids can read, because every caller is a face. The ages are a guide, and you decide.

    Who can my kid talk to?

    Only people you approve. Grandparents and friends call from their own phones with a link, so there’s no app for anyone to install.

    How will I know they’re ready for the next step?

    Each step comes with signs to look for, like hanging up on their own, or shrugging it off when a friend doesn’t pick up. Then you make the call.

    What’s ready today?

    Stage 1 (calls, pokes, drawing together, and their own card) is working in a small family pilot. Stages 2 to 4 are designed, and we’re building them with the families who sign up.

    What comes after stage 4?

    A smartphone, when you decide. Experts suggest waiting until about 14. By then they’ll have practiced every step that matters.

    How much does it cost?

    The home phone will have one up-front price, and stages 1 to 3 never need a subscription. Calls between s are free, and so are calls in from any regular phone you approve, so Grandma can call from her landline. An optional subscription adds calling regular phones and more ways to customize. Stage 4’s basic phone is optional, and like any phone that leaves the house, it needs a monthly plan. We haven’t set prices yet, and joining the pilot is free.

    What do you do with my name and email?

    We tell you when each step is ready, and now and then we ask what you think. Knowing how many kids you have helps us plan the pilot. We never share or sell any of it, and there are no trackers on this page.

    Why a snail?

    That’s Shelby. Shelby is never in a hurry, carries home everywhere, and sleeps on the phone’s screen at bedtime. Growing up shouldn’t be rushed either.

    Give them the steps you had.

    Join the pilot. Hear first, and help decide what we build next.

    Free to join. We never share your email.

    Shelby, a snail with a round cherry-red shell, smiling.

    Join the pilot

    Hear first, and help decide what we build next.

    Free, and we never share your email.