We believe childhood is best lived offline. Technology should enable real experiences, not replace them. Whether it's a phone, an app, or a payment card, technology works best when it connects children to the real world rather than pulling them away from it.
We know the research. Smartphones can disrupt sleep, attention, and social development. The apps are designed for adult brains, engineered to create dopamine hits that children aren't equipped to handle. The internet wasn't built with childhood in mind.
But phones are now essential for staying connected, safe, and informed. Avoiding them entirely isn’t feasible, and expecting otherwise ignores the realities parents face today. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can guide children into technology thoughtfully, protecting the essence of childhood even in a connected world.
Given the challenges, we believe that parents should delay their child’s first smartphone for as long as possible.
But at some point children will need a smartphone. School requirements, safety concerns, social connections, or simply their growing independence will drive the decision point for each family.
We’ve combined our beliefs and our decade of experience designing products for Australian families into our philosophy for Spriggy Mobile:
Transparency over secrecy
Parents should know what's being monitored, and children should understand why. Hidden surveillance doesn't build the digital responsibility we want them to develop.
Protection with respect
Our controls protect while building trust. We’re not here to spy, or to require parents to read every text message over their child’s shoulder - we’re here to help parents guide children safely toward independence.
Gradual independence
Starting with full protection and gradually unlocking features as children prove they can handle responsibility. It's parenting, not permanent restrictions.
Balanced engagement
We recognise that technology brings benefits - connection, creativity, and learning opportunities. Our role is to help balance the benefits of access against the downsides of the technology.
We’ve combined our beliefs and our decade of experience designing products for Australian families into our philosophy for Spriggy Mobile:
Remove unnecessary features like international calling that kids don’t need
Introduce features gradually, so parents unlock access as children mature
Build controls specifically for Australian families that are available out of the box
Focus on education as well as protection, encouraging conversations about digital citizenship
Support compliance with Australia’s new under-16 social media laws
We know the journey into digital life is complex. Parents try different approaches - wearables and trackers, ‘dumb phones’, or delaying the decision entirely. Each such choice reflects a genuine effort to balance safety with fairness.
But at some point children will need a smartphone. School requirements, safety concerns, social connections, or simply their growing independence will drive the decision point for each family.
That’s why we built Spriggy Mobile: to give families a safer way for their kids to use a smartphone.
We are loving using Spriggy Mobile for our kids
Jane
The parental controls are great - turning the data on and off easily, the kids being able to see their data usage - making them use it responsibly and us being able to track the usage.
Spriggy Mobile great for parents and kids
Jasmin
Spriggy Mobile has been so positive for me ... and my son. We have had Spriggy Mobile for about five months and I love that I don't need to worry anymore. I can get hold of him when I need to and have control over what he is doing on his phone.
Game changer, we love it!
Jennifer
Freedom at last because my daughter has the independence that comes with her phone and I get peace of mind knowing that we can get in touch with her when we need to.
A very handy tool!
Jen&Col Danaher
Spriggy has been a very useful tool in keeping me in touch with my granddaughter. It has helped her out when she has needed it, for instance when she has found herself stranded and needs help in getting home
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95% of Australian parents rate online safety as one of their toughest parenting challenges.
Requires Spriggy Parental Controls to be set up on the child’s device via the Spriggy app
Simple for parents, safer for your kids.
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Two-thirds of 14-to-17 year olds report seeing harmful content online
With over 1.3 million Australian members
