Student privacy and security are at the core of everything we do.

We believe students deserve to feel empowered, not surveilled.

Many apps designed to manage student phone use rely on invasive features, such as tracking browsing history, monitoring app usage, or collecting location and device data.

At The Commons, we take a fundamentally different approach.

That means:

  • No IP or location tracking

  • No browsing or content monitoring

  • No student logins or activity surveillance

We use simple, non-invasive signals like time of day and presence within a school zone to block only the most distracting apps. This protects students’ privacy and supports healthy digital habits.

We comply with FERPA, COPPA, and district technology policies and follow best practices informed by the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Promoting student focus without surveillance.

For full details on our practices, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

A Safer Way to Manage Phone Use

  • No. The Commons is not a location tracker. We use an invisible geofence, which is simply a virtual boundary set around the school. When your child enters that school zone, their phone is automatically switched into School Mode — blocking distracting apps during the school day.

    The Commons does not collect personal data from users. The only information we gather is de-identified telemetry data that allows our application to work in order to create a successful distraction-free campus.

    When students arrive at school, The Commons the app is alerted to blocks distracting apps. When school is over or they leave campus, The Commons app is alerted to turn off.

  • Yes. We don’t collect any personal information from your child through our app. Everything is de-identified, which means we don’t know who the phone belongs to, and we can’t see where your child is or what they’re doing on their phone.

    The school manages who uses the app, and we follow strict rules to protect student data. We’re aligned with important student privacy laws like FERPA and COPPA, which are made to keep student information safe. We don’t collect any health or medical information either.

    Your child’s privacy is really important to us, and we’ve built The Commons to support safe and focused learning.

  • Only one thing: whether their phone is in the school zone during school hours.
    We do not collect names, messages, browsing history, or contact information

FAQs