New App Keeps Kids From Ignoring Mom's Phone Calls

Watch out, kids: When her teens ignored her calls checking up on their safety, mom Sharon Standifird "literally just started researching how to develop an app" that would paralyze their phones until they called her back, she tells CBS New York; thus, Ignore No More was born. The Android-exclusive app locks a kid's phone if they don't pick up when mom or dad calls, CNET reports. It can be unlocked only with a password … but only the parent knows the password. That means the teen has to call back, and if he or she doesn't—no calls, texting, games, or using the phone for anything else. Don't worry, though, 911 can still be dialed.

So, what does Standifird's son think of the app? "I thought it was a good idea. But for other people, not me," he tells CBS. There's already a bit of skepticism and concern about Ignore No More—some wonder whether tech-savvy teens can outsmart it and others worry it may encourage abuse if used by a controlling spouse, notes Tech Times. But devices need to be "manually paired as 'parent' and 'child' in a household account" in order for the app to work, writes Dianne Depra, citing the developer. "A 'parent' cannot simply tag a device as a 'child' through a phone number." (A pediatrician, meanwhile, thinks parents with smaller kids need to put their phones down.)