Screen time they earn, not merely take.
Last reviewed: October 2026
Most screen-time tools work like a stopwatch. They decide how long the screen is allowed, then they argue with your child about it for you. Dad's Academy works the other way round. On your child's Windows PC, a short, adaptive review comes first. When it's done, screen time is earned. You can grant more whenever you like. The argument stops being yours to have.
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How earn-to-play works
1. The PC opens to learning first
Install the Dad's Academy companion on your child's Windows PC. When they sit down, it shows that day's review before anything else: one question at a time in Math, English and Reading, Science or Life Skills. It runs full-screen, so games, browsers and other apps wait until it's done.
2. Practice adapts, so it can't be rushed through
Each subject levels up or down on its own, based on how your child is actually answering. A child who is strong in reading but finding fractions hard gets reading that stretches them and fractions that meet them where they are. Question types are designed to reward thinking rather than guessing.
3. Screen time is earned, and you hold the balance
Finishing the day's review earns a block of screen time. Rather than setting a rate per question, you set a daily cap and grant or lock time whenever you like. When the time runs out, the PC returns to learning. Your child can earn more, or ask you.
4. You can always step in
From the parent Command Center on your phone, you can grant time, lock the PC now, or set a bedtime lockout for dinner or bed. Nothing your child does on the PC changes the rules you set.
The controls you keep
Earn-to-play is the centre of it. The companion also gives you the ordinary controls you'd expect, so it can be the one tool on that PC rather than one more.
- Bedtime lockout. Set the hours when the PC stays closed, whatever has been earned.
- Apps and websites. Choose which apps and sites can be used during earned time, and which stay off.
- A daily desktop cap. However much is earned, a limit you set keeps a good streak from turning into a whole evening.
- Activity you can see. The Command Center shows which apps and sites were used, alongside accuracy by subject, trends and the skills your child keeps missing.
What it is, and what it isn't
This is our product, so here is the plain version.
- Windows only.The companion runs on Windows PCs. It doesn't run on Mac, Chromebook, iPad or phones. The learning itself works in any modern browser.
- It won't check school homework. It makes sure a short, adaptive review happens first. Many families pair it with a simple house rule: practice unlocks the PC, and play time follows once homework has been shown to a parent. Our guide to locking a Windows PC until homework is done covers the routine, and the built-in Windows tools, in detail.
- It isn't a full parental-control suite. If you also need web filtering across every browser, or to manage phones and consoles, Microsoft Family Safety is free and good at that, and the two run alongside each other on the same child account.
- We make no promises about grades. What it does promise is a daily habit of practice, at the right level, before play.
Free to start. Earning is on the paid plan.
| Free | Paid plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily questions | 5 a day | Unlimited |
| Subjects | One a day, rotating through the week | All four: Math, English and Reading, Science, Life Skills |
| Adaptive levelling | Not included | Included |
| Earn-to-play screen time (Windows companion) | Not included | Included |
| Parent Command Center | Progress and streaks | The full dashboard |
The paid plan is priced per child, shown in your local currency, with 25% off each additional child and about two months free on an annual plan. Free to start · no card required · cancel anytime. See pricing for the figures in your currency.
Why earning works better than limiting
A limit, on its own, tells a child what they can't have. Earning tells them how to get it. That small change moves the conversation from “Can I have more time?” to “How many questions until I can play?”, which is a question your child can answer without you.
It also keeps screen time predictable. When the rule is the same every day, there is less to negotiate and less reason to test it. How much screen time is right is a separate question, and it depends on age. Our guide to how much screen time a child should have, by age summarises what the paediatric bodies recommend, and how an earned model fits inside those limits.
How it compares
Other earn-screen-time apps exist, and some are very good on phones and tablets. Where Dad's Academy is different is the combination: a Windows PC that opens to learning first, practice that adapts across four subjects, and a parent dashboard that shows how your child is really doing. For a fair roundup, including where other apps are stronger, see the best earn-screen-time apps in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- Can kids earn screen time by doing math?
- Yes. With Dad's Academy on the paid plan, your child's Windows PC opens to a short, adaptive review in Math, English and Reading, Science or Life Skills. Finishing it earns screen time, and you can grant more from the parent Command Center.
- What's the best learning app that limits screen time?
- It depends on the device. For a Windows PC, Dad's Academy pairs adaptive practice in four subjects with a companion that keeps the PC on learning until screen time is earned or granted by you. For phones and tablets, other earn-screen-time apps cover those devices; our roundup compares them fairly.
- Is earned screen time free?
- No. Earn-to-play screen time is part of the paid plan. The free plan includes 5 questions a day in one subject and the parent Command Center. It's free to start, with no card required, and you can cancel anytime.
- Does it work on Mac, Chromebook, iPad or phones?
- The screen-time companion is Windows only. The learning itself runs in a web browser, so your child can practise on other devices, but earning and enforcing screen time happens on a Windows PC.
- Can my child get around it?
- No lock is perfect, so set the PC up well: give your child a standard Windows account, not an administrator account, and make sure any other accounts have passwords. The learning service runs as the computer's system account, so a child on a standard account can't stop it, and answer keys never reach the PC.
- Can I still give screen time without the practice?
- Yes. You can grant time from the Command Center at any point, for a weekend, a long car journey home, or simply because.
- How much screen time does a review earn?
- Finishing the day's review unlocks a block of screen time. Rather than a per-question rate, you set a daily cap in the Command Center, and you can grant or lock time whenever you like.
- Will my child see ads or be asked to buy anything?
- No. There is no advertising and nothing for your child to buy. The account belongs to you, and so does every setting.
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