The Commons vs BeThere Schools

The Commons™ – Airplane Mode For Schools Let’s be real phones are amazing. But at School? They can be a total distraction. The Commons helps students stay focused during the school day without giving up their phones. No pouches. No locks. Just fewer distractions. Built with privacy first, The Commons automatically pauses access to distracting apps like social media, games, and other non-academic content during school hours while keeping school-approved, medical, and essential communication apps available. The result? More focus. Better learning. Stronger habits. Features • Automatically activates when you arrive at school • Restricts distracting apps during school hours • Keeps approved educational and essential apps available per your school's phone policy • Automatically turns off when the school day ends Privacy First Your privacy matters. The Commons never accesses your messages, browsing history, photos, social media content, or location history. Learn more about our privacy commitment: the-commons.app/privacy-policy

BeThere helps schools create a consistent phone-free environment without collecting devices, requiring pouches, or relying on students to activate restrictions manually. Once a student completes setup, BeThere uses the school’s approved schedule and campus location to apply phone restrictions automatically during designated school hours. When the school day ends—or during approved breaks—the student’s normal phone access returns. BeThere is designed to help students stay focused, participate more fully, and experience school without constant digital distraction. HOW IT WORKS • Join your school using its secure school code and approved student email • Complete a one-time setup for location and Screen Time permissions • Phone restrictions activate automatically according to school hours and campus boundaries • Approved breaks, early-release schedules, and school-wide changes are handled automatically • Students can always access essential apps and functions permitted by their school BUILT FOR REAL SCHOOL DAYS BeThere can support regular schedules, lunch periods, shortened days, holidays, temporary pauses, and other school-specific policies. Schools manage the experience centrally so students do not need to remember to turn anything on or off. PRIVACY BY DESIGN BeThere does not read students’ messages, emails, photos, or browsing history. Location is used to determine whether the student is within the school’s designated campus area. BeThere is built to support phone-free school policies while collecting only the information necessary to operate the service. A participating school account is required to use BeThere.