There are so many articles lately about the risks of leaving your kids with your smartphone or in front of screens but what do tech Companies do about it? Discover one innovative tool launched by two friends from New Brunswick, Itavio.

The story of two “veteran” game developers

Melanie and Matt have worked in the gaming company for several years. They met while working at Gogii Games, a gaming company based in New Brunswick, dedicated to the development and distribution of games.

In 2015, they decided to go on the exciting adventure of starting their own business. Melani is the marketing guru and Matt is the ideation pilot. They decided to launch an innovative tool that gaming companies could offer to parents for a more responsible usage of their products. Indeed, mobile usage and mobile gaming have evolved tremendously over the years. Gamers used to be a specific community with specific tools. Today, everyone can be a gamer, including children.

An ethical dimension

Itavio stands for “It takes a village” to raise a child in a mobile world. So it has to do with education, and helping both parents and game companies provide a more responsible product.

Itavio offers a plugin that game developers can add to help parents limit the in-app purchases on free-to-play games. Here is a concrete example: remember that old addictive Candy Crush Saga? There are several in-app purchases available: extra lives, golden bars, extra moves, color bombs… During its peak of popularity, in 2014, Candy Crush players spent approximately $1.33 billion on in-app purchases. These purchases can be intentional but sometimes, they result from kids clicking carelessly on their parents’ smartphone or tablet.

Adapting to changing consumption patterns

Itavio wants to create a regulated environment where parents, children and gaming companies can peacefully interact and coexist. This would avoid parents an extra anxiety related to overspending and also empower children to manage their time and money. Indeed, children have become complex customers: they not only want to buy a real candy bar, but also a virtual candy.

A venture that attracts media companies

Today, Itavio has already signed with prestigious partners including Hearst. Even better, they are members of the Heart Lab, a selective community of early stage women-led startups that innovate the media or information industry. This greenhouse for new ventures invests cash and assists them in building teams and refining products.

Discover all about their pricing here.