When Parents Divorce, Apps Can Reduce the Child-Custody Acrimony

Divorce can lead to all type of conflict between parents. To minimize the quarrels and court time, family-law judges and divorced parents created parenting apps. We do not know if it can solve all problems, but the goal is to reduce stress on children in the middle of the tension. Some features are developed in the apps in order for you to check in when you pick up your child for instance, to keep civil text messages among parents with a proof of reading, to have calendars that helps both parents keep tack of their children’s schedule, etc. In brief, the apps can help parents to stay up to date with the calendar so they are sure they will not miss anything.

The Coparenter app, for instance, allows parents to communicate with family-law professionals through a “get help” button in the case of conflicts or misunderstanding, rather than going to court.

Most of parents agree that using the apps help them communicate better with an appropriate language since everything is going to stay in the apps as proof.

The idea behind the apps is great. Now parents will not have to run into each other because someone has forgotten to go to an event or to pay something. Additionally, using the apps will help them staying in track of all activities and calendar plans, rather that calling each other and going over arguments.

However, the question we would ask is “are the apps free?” the answer is yes but not for all of them.

• The OurFamilyWizard app

·            -  plan start at $99/year

·            -  The app looks for swearing texts and flag aggressive words

• The coParenter app

·           - plan start at $120/year

·           - Retired judges, therapists, and attorneys are available 24/7 to ease conflicts via text in at least 20minutes.

• The Talking Parents app

·           - Free but downloads cost extra

·           - Both parents have copy of event created, deleted or edited on the calendar

• The Cozi app

·           - Free but $30/year for ad-free version

·           - For everyone, not just divorced parents

·           - Shopping and to-do lists

·           - App can be shared with up to 6 people

• The AppClose

·          -  Free

·          - Parents can make payment through the app

·           - Calendar and messaging included

I find the article interesting because a lot of parents are facing divorce nowadays, and children often get involved in the middle of the conflict. The idea to create those app is a brilliant one because they will not have to argue over the phone about certain plans, events or activities, but will just have to check on the apps’ calendar.

Marketing is very important when it comes to creating apps. It involves developing marketing strategies for the apps to work effectively. Thus, the first thing to do in a marketing strategy is to research the audience, to analyse their move, the statistics. In this article, the audience targeted is mostly the divorced parents. In order to attract people, you can start marketing or advertising the app even though it is not finish yet. Know your competitor to see what they have in their app, so you can either enhance it or look for other ideas. In the article, the "Cozi" app has more features than the "Talking Parents" app for instance, which can attract more people to use it and appreciate it. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-parents-divorce-apps-can-reduce-the-child-custody-acrimony-11556616602