Chores App Helps Parents Reach Kids Through Their Phones
PITTSBURGH (CBS) – It can be the source of many family fights - getting your kids to do their chores.
It's not always easy but a company wants to take the nagging out of getting stuff done around the house. And their solution relies heavily on what can be a kid's most prized possession — their phone.
"For dusting, I'll get a dollar. For cleaning my bedroom, I'll get $4," said 11-year-old Kalla Lively while describing some of her household chores.
But Kalla no longer gets cash in hand. Instead, her chores are managed and paid for by her dad online. The family is using Ourly.help. Kalla's dad, Derek, uploads money to the site, assigns the customized tasks, and waits for results.
"When it's interactive and on a device, it seems to make them more excited to do it," said Derek.
Kalla is able to snap before and after photos on her phone to prove to her dad that the chore has been completed. Those photos are then sent to him via text message. Once the job is approved, the money instantly appears in an online account.
"It gives them a sense of power and authority. And small tasks are getting done for dad — win win," said Derek.
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"Ourly is the right way for parents to give their kids pocket money," said John Malone, CEO of Ourly.help.
Malone uses the program with his own busy family and says it makes sense to reach kids through their phones.
"Everything they do is digital. If you want to have a conversation about money with your kids, it's got to be in the format they understand," he says.
Kids can then cash in their money for a variety of online gift cards, like Amazon or iTunes, donate to charity, or cash out whenever they want.
Kalla's younger sister has even started to check her iPad for a to-do list.
Kalla says Ourly has changed her opinion of chores, saying it's a "fun and easier way to do chores. You don't think about it as chores."
Parents pay $1.95 every time money is uploaded to the site. And coming later this year, kids will be able to deposit their money directly onto a pre-loaded debit card.
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