Restricting your own device is a serious design responsibility.
Any system that constrains connectivity — even voluntarily — carries risk. These are the commitments that govern SafeTime's research.
How we intend to work
Voluntary and consent-based
SafeTime is opted into by the user. It is not designed for covert monitoring, coercion, or imposition by a third party on an adult.
Emergency access always
Phone calls, SMS, and emergency services must remain reachable during every protected period, in every protection mode.
Non-punitive by design
No shaming language, no public scoring, no leaderboards, no reporting of behavior to third parties.
Not a clinical treatment
SafeTime is not therapy and is not a substitute for professional support. Where distress is indicated, the right response is a signpost to help, not a stronger block.
Adolescent safeguarding
Use by minors raises distinct questions of consent and guardianship, and will only be studied under appropriate ethical review.
Independent review
Ethical, privacy, and effectiveness claims should be examined by reviewers outside the project before deployment.
Open ethical questions
- Could OS-level controls be repurposed for coercion or censorship?
- How do we prevent a wellbeing feature from becoming a surveillance surface?
- What override design respects autonomy without defeating pre-commitment?
- How do we avoid stigmatizing the behaviors users bring to the system?
- What happens when a protective boundary conflicts with an urgent real-world need?
- How is consent handled for users with limited digital literacy?
These questions are unresolved. SafeTime will not advocate operating-system-level deployment until they have credible answers and independent scrutiny.