AI-Powered App Helps Parents Monitor Children's Online Habits and Mental Wellbeing

Parents across the country are increasingly turning to technology to ensure their children's online safety and mental wellbeing, as concerns about the impact of social media and digital devices on young minds grow. A new app, developed by security company Aura, is using artificial intelligence to help parents track their children's online behavior and detect early signs of mental health struggles.

Known as Balance, the app was created by Aura's CEO, Hari Ravichandran, after his own daughter faced a mental health crisis. He describes the moment vividly: “She didn’t wanna get out of her room, like, she was lying in her bed, I don’t want to get up, it was very visible that she's struggling.” His decision to closely examine his daughter’s phone led to an eye-opening discovery: “It's literally all there. All the questions she's asking, the things that she's struggling with.”

Ravichandran turned to child psychologists and clinicians to help develop the app, ensuring it was both effective and ethical. The AI models are trained to analyze a child's language patterns, emotional tone, and late-night activity. By comparing a child's behavior to their baseline, the app can detect anomalies that may signal stress, anxiety, or shifting moods.

Parents receive regular reports through the app, which aim to encourage open conversations between parents and children. “The goal is for families to start to have a dialog,” Ravichandran said. While he acknowledges that the AI technology is not perfect, he believes it will improve over time as it learns from more data and user feedback.

Rebecca Wilcoxson, a mother of a 15-year-old who joined a clinical study for Balance, shared how the app has improved communication with her son. “It will explain how his tone was in his texting and then it will show me the most used apps for the time he was on his phone,” she said. “I see where there's maybe been some more negative talking and we're able to use that as a talking point together.”

However, not all experts believe that AI alone can solve the growing mental health crisis among children. Josh Golin, head of Fairplay, an advocacy group focused on protecting children online, argues that real change must come from lawmakers and tech companies. “They do not implement those features because it would hurt their bottom line,” he said. “If regulation says you have a duty to protect kids, that's when I think we'll start to see real change.”

Wilcoxson agrees, adding, “If these tech companies have this money to keep developing, then where is their opportunity to make it safe for our children, the most vulnerable of our population?”

Balance is not the only tool available for parents looking to monitor their children's online activity. Other apps like Bark, Qustodio, and Norton also offer similar features. In some states, schools are taking steps to limit the use of phones, with at least 31 states and Washington D.C. requiring districts to ban or restrict student use of phones in schools.

As the debate over AI and child safety continues, one thing is clear: parents are seeking tools that can help them navigate the complexities of the digital world and protect their children's mental health. With Balance and similar technologies, they now have one more option in their arsenal.