Where playing and learning are the same thing.

How much screen time is right for my child?

There is no official number to aim for. When the UK Chief Medical Officers reviewed the research in 2019, they concluded it was not conclusive enough to set guidelines on an optimal amount of screen use. Any app or article quoting a precise daily limit as settled science is claiming more than the evidence supports.

What the Chief Medical Officers did offer is practical advice: agree boundaries together, leave phones outside the bedroom at bedtime, keep meal times screen-free, get up and move after a long stretch sitting at a screen, and keep talking with children about what they watch and how it makes them feel.

In practice, what a child does on a screen matters as much as how long they spend on it. An afternoon building a game with a parent is a different thing from the same afternoon on an endless feed. Watch for the signs that matter in your own home: sleep, mood, friendships, time outdoors, and whether screens are crowding out the things your child used to love.

Boundaries work better when children help set them. Sit down together and agree when screens are fine, when they are not, and what happens when time is up, then write it down where everyone can see it. Adults keeping to the same rules, such as no phones at the table, does more than any lecture, and a plan you revisit as your child grows will fit them far better than one fixed for good.

How do I turn screen time into making something?

Start with what your child already loves. A child who loves animals can draw them, animate them or build a small game about them. A child who loves stories can write one, record it or turn it into a comic. Making something gives screen time a beginning, a middle and an end, which a feed never does.

Give it a shape. Agree a small project with a finish line, such as a birthday card that moves, a quiz for grandparents or a level for a game, and then show it off to someone when it is done. Finishing something and sharing it with people they love is what turns tinkering into pride.

Sit beside them, at least at first. You do not need to know how to do it yourself; asking "what happens if you change that?" teaches more than any instructions. And let them get stuck. Working out why something does not work is the learning, so resist the urge to fix it for them.

Mix the screen with the real world. Photograph a den they built and turn it into a stop-motion film; design a board game on paper, then build a digital version; record a nature walk and make a short documentary of it. Projects that move between hands and screen keep making grounded in the things children touch, see and care about, and they give everyone a reason to switch off and go outside.

How can children learn to code at home?

Coding starts away from the screen. Writing step-by-step instructions for making a sandwich, then following them exactly as written, teaches the heart of programming: computers do precisely what they are told, so the instructions have to be clear. Board games and puzzles about sequences and patterns build the same habit of thought.

Younger children usually begin with block-based tools, where pieces of code snap together like building bricks, so they can make things move and react without typing. Free options such as Scratch are widely used in schools and homes. Older children who want more can move on to building small websites, games or apps. Ask your child's school what they use in class, so practice at home builds on what they already know.

For a family ready to build something real, Heaven Code Studio lives inside the Luna Heaven app. Your child describes the app or game they want, and Luna does the development work, planning, writing and testing it, while they steer, try it out and decide what to change. It is pay as you go, using energy from your account balance, so it is something to do together, with you beside them.

How do I keep my child safe online?

Talk early and keep talking. The UK Safer Internet Centre makes the point that you do not need to be an expert to help: ask your child which sites and games they use, what they enjoy, and who they talk to. Make sure they know they can always come to you if something online upsets or worries them, without fear of losing their device.

Use the controls you already have. Broadband filters, phone networks, games consoles and app stores all offer parental controls, and the NSPCC explains how to set them up. Keep devices in shared rooms for younger children, check age ratings, and review settings as your child grows rather than setting them once and forgetting them.

Teach a few clear rules: never share passwords, a home address or a school name; never meet someone in person who they only know online; and when in doubt, do not upload. Remind them that people online are not always who they say they are, and that telling a grown-up is never telling tales.

Gaming deserves its own conversation. Many games include voice or text chat with strangers, so check whether chat can be limited to friends or switched off, and play alongside your child now and then to see what the game is really like. If something goes wrong, save screenshots, use the report and block tools, and know that the NSPCC and the UK Safer Internet Centre both list where to turn for help.

How do I talk to my child about adverts and in-app purchases?

Help them see how apps make money. Many free games are paid for by adverts, or by gentle pressure to buy coins, skins and extra lives. Children can learn to spot this: ask, "Who made this, and how do they get paid?" Pointing out a countdown timer or a flashing offer together turns a sales trick into something they can recognise.

Set purchase rules on the device as well as in conversation. Most phones, tablets and consoles can require a parent to approve every purchase or download. Turn that on, keep payment details off your child's profile, and agree as a family what, if anything, is worth spending on.

Pocket money can help here. If a child chooses to spend their own money on a game, the decision becomes real: they weigh it up, see it go, and learn whether it was worth it. Talk afterwards about how it felt. A purchase that disappointed teaches more than any warning, and a child who has learned to ask "do I really want this?" carries that question everywhere.

Coda Blocks, when it opens, will charge for play sessions and purchases in energy from your Heaven account, and every charge will show in your account with a receipt, so you can see exactly what was spent and on what. Heaven does not offer a per-child spending limit today, so keep your account details to yourself and keep your device's purchase approval switched on.

Where does Heaven fit in?

Life Journeys by Heaven Eco Hub starts with a conversation. Tell Luna about your children: how old they are, what they love, and what you hope they grow into. Luna then points you to the parts of Heaven that fit, and you decide what to try.

Coda Blocks is the world Heaven is opening for children to play and build in, made for them rather than for advertisers. It has not opened yet, and we will not pretend otherwise. Your account is free, and it will be ready for your children the day Coda Blocks opens.

When they want to go further, Heaven Code Studio inside the Luna Heaven app is where they can build real apps and games, with you beside them. None of this replaces the boundaries, conversations and time together that children need; it is meant to give the screen time they do have something worth making.

Questions people ask

Is Coda Blocks available now?

No. Coda Blocks, the world Heaven Eco Hub is opening for children to play and build in, has not opened yet, and Heaven will not pretend otherwise. You can create a free Heaven account today, and it will be ready for your children the day Coda Blocks opens. In the meantime, Heaven Code Studio inside the Luna Heaven app is available for families who want to build apps and games together.

Will I be able to see what my child spends in Coda Blocks?

Yes. When Coda Blocks opens, every charge it makes, for play sessions or in-app purchases, will show in your Heaven account with a receipt, so you can see what was spent and on what. Heaven does not offer a per-child spending limit today, so keep your account details private and turn on your device's own purchase approval as well.

How much screen time should my child have?

The UK Chief Medical Officers concluded in 2019 that the research was not conclusive enough to set an optimal amount of screen time. Instead, they advise agreeing family boundaries, keeping phones out of bedrooms at night, having screen-free meal times, taking regular breaks to move, and talking with children about what they do online. What a child does on a screen matters as well as how long.

What is Heaven Code Studio?

Heaven Code Studio is an area inside the Luna Heaven app where you describe the app or game you want and Luna, the AI guide, does the development work: planning it, writing it, testing it and fixing what it finds, while you steer and review. It is pay as you go, using energy from your Heaven account balance, so children should use it with a parent beside them.

How can my child start learning to code with no experience?

Start without a screen: write step-by-step instructions for an everyday task and follow them exactly, which shows why computers need clear instructions. Then try a free block-based tool such as Scratch, where code snaps together like bricks. Pick a small project your child cares about, sit beside them, and let them work out problems themselves rather than fixing things for them.

Where can I find trusted advice on keeping children safe online?

In the UK, the NSPCC explains how to set up parental controls on broadband, phones, consoles and apps, and the UK Safer Internet Centre offers guides for parents and carers on devices, social media and conversation starters. Both stress that you do not need to be an expert: talking regularly with your child and keeping the controls up to date both count for a great deal.