Messages first. Your people, not a feed.
OurDot opens to conversations with family. Talk in the family chat, in groups like "Our house," one-on-one with a guardian, by voice note, or face to face on a video call.
OurDot is a family-only messenger. Every family has one family chat, guardians can make group chats, and every child has an always-open guardian line. Kids never chat one-on-one with any adult except their guardians.
The family chat
Everyone in the family, in one place. Pause it for a kid during school or sleep time; the guardian line stays open.
Group chats
Guardians create groups, like "Our house," "Mom's side" or "Dad's side," and choose who's in each. A group that includes a kid always includes a guardian.
The guardian line
A private chat between a child and their guardians. It never locks, so a kid can always reach you, day or night.
Video and voice calls
Call from any chat. Calls travel live and are never recorded. A child is never on a call alone with an adult who isn't their guardian.
Why messages come first
Many social apps open to a feed built to keep you watching. OurDot opens to the people you talk to. A review of 141 studies found that "active" use like messaging and sharing with people you know was linked to somewhat better wellbeing and social support than passive scrolling, though most effects were small. See the research.
Calmer notifications
By default, OurDot bundles notifications three times a day, at 9 am, 3 pm and 9 pm, so phones aren't buzzing all day. Anyone can switch to "right away." An alert says who wrote, never what they wrote. Guardians can mark a message urgent when it can't wait.
Photos and voice notes in chat
Share photos right in a conversation; location data is removed before upload. Send voice notes that show their words for anyone still learning to read.
Common questions
Can my child message people outside our family?
No. OurDot has no search, no public profiles and no friend requests. Kids can only talk with people a guardian invited.
Can grandparents send my child a private message?
No. Grandparents and other trusted adults talk with kids in the family chat or family groups, where a guardian is present.
Are OurDot video calls recorded?
No. Calls are never recorded, and OurDot stores only that a call started, not what was said or shown.