Today's kids are growing up with
the world in the palm of their hands.

No. Tellan is delivered by ordinary text message, so there is nothing new for your child to download or manage.

Tellan’s text-messaging platform has the ability to receive and display replies, but replies are not actively monitored. Tellan is not an emergency or crisis service. When a message touches on a serious topic, subscribers will be reminded to reach out to a trusted adult if they need help.

Tellan is designed primarily for preteens and teens who have their own phone. Since children get phones at different ages, there isn’t a required starting age. The guidance is designed to be useful from a child’s first phone through the teenage years, and parents can decide when it feels like the right fit.

Phones, friendships, privacy, scams, kindness, confidence, judgment, awkward situations, and knowing when to involve a trusted adult.

Tellan draws from dozens of sources, including books, podcasts, interviews, and posts from psychologists, therapists, doctors, parenting experts, and experienced parents. We carefully select useful insights and write them in our own words as short, easy-to-read messages.

As a mom of six living in an area surrounded by water, I enrolled my children in survival swim lessons early, as soon as they became mobile and water became a potential danger. I never planned to let them near water without supervision, but I knew things don’t always go according to plan. I needed to know my kids had skills to help keep themselves safe in the water if they ever needed to.

When my daughter started asking for a phone, she would say, “You can put all the restrictions on it so I can’t do anything I’m not supposed to!” It brought me back to those swim lessons. Restrictions could help protect her, but I also wanted to prepare her for situations so she knew how to help keep herself safe. Tellan grew from that idea. Just as my babies’ swim instructor told me water wings could give children and parents a false sense of security, I’ve become a strong believer that locking the door to the pool only protects them so long as that door stays locked. I want my children to have skills to draw on if that door is ever opened.

Tellan is free during the pilot. In return, we ask families to share honest feedback to help us shape what comes next.

After the pilot, we expect subscriptions to start around $6.99 per month, with discounts for siblings and annual plans. We’ll share final pricing before any paid subscription begins.

Yes. Reply STOP from the subscribed phone number. We realize this means your child can stop the messages without your approval, so we encourage you to discuss Tellan and your expectations with them beforehand.

If your child unsubscribes, you will receive an email as a courtesy. If you wish to restart the messages, simply reply to the email so we can help you with the steps to resubscribe from their phone.

Parents can also contact us to pause or remove a number.