Screen Time Manager

A simple Windows app to manage your child's computer time. Set daily limits, and when time's up, the screen is blocked until you enter the passcode.

No complicated setup. No special accounts needed. Just run it and configure your limits.

Confirmed to be effectively blocking Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft.

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What It Does

• Daily Time Limits - Set different limits for each day (e.g., 2 hours on school days, 4 hours on weekends)
• Timer Display - A small timer in the corner shows remaining time
• Warnings - Alerts your child before time runs out ("10 minutes left!")
• Screen Block - When time's up, the screen is blocked until you enter the passcode
• Extra Time - Grant +15, +30, or +60 minutes when needed
• Pause Feature - Kids can pause the timer for breaks (with built-in limits to prevent abuse)
• Shut Down Option - Shut down the computer directly from the lock screen
• Works on All Monitors - Blocks all connected screens

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Getting Started

1. Run the app - Double-click to start. A small timer appears in the top-right corner.

2. Find the tray icon - Look for the clock icon in the system tray (bottom-right of your screen, near the clock).

   

3. Open the menu - Right-click the tray icon to see all options.

   

4. Open Settings - Click "Settings..." and enter the passcode (default is 0000).

   

5. Configure your limits - Set daily time limits, warning messages, and optionally set up Telegram remote control.

   

6. Change the passcode - Use the "Change Passcode" section to set something your child won't guess!

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When Time Runs Out

A "Time's Up!" screen appears that blocks the entire computer.

• Extend buttons (+15, +30, +60 min) - Enter passcode to grant more time
• Unlock button - Enter passcode to remove the block completely
• Shut Down button - Shut down the computer (with confirmation)

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The Pause Feature

Your child can pause the timer for meals, homework, or breaks without needing your passcode.

Built-in limits prevent abuse:

• 45 minutes total pause time per day
• Each pause auto-resumes after 20 minutes
• Must wait 15 minutes between pauses

You can view pause usage in "Today's Stats..." from the tray menu.

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Viewing Stats

Right-click the tray icon and select "Today's Stats..." to see:

• Time used today
• Time remaining
• Pause usage
• Option to reset the timer

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Remote Control via Telegram (Optional)

You can monitor and control screen time from your phone using Telegram. This is useful when you're not near the computer.

What you can do from Telegram:

• /status - Check remaining time and pause status
• /time - Quick time check
• /extend 30 - Add extra time (e.g., 30 minutes)
• /pause - Pause the timer
• /resume - Resume the timer
• /history - See today's pause activity

Setup (one-time):

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot and follow the steps to create your bot
3. Copy the bot token you receive
4. Start a chat with your new bot and send /start
5. Note your chat ID shown in the reply
6. In Screen Time Manager settings, scroll to "Telegram Bot" section
7. Paste your bot token and chat ID, then enable the bot

Once configured, only you can control the bot - it ignores messages from anyone else.

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Tips

• Change the default passcode - The default 0000 is easy to guess!
• Set reasonable limits - Too strict and kids get frustrated; too loose and they won't learn limits
• Check stats occasionally - See if pause mode is being used appropriately
• The timer survives restarts - Restarting the computer won't reset the timer

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Making It Start Automatically

To have Screen Time Manager start when Windows boots:

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard
2. Type shell:startup and press Enter
3. Copy the Screen Time Manager app into this folder (or create a shortcut to it)

Now it will start automatically every time the computer turns on.

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Antivirus & Windows SmartScreen Warnings

When you download or first run the app, Windows SmartScreen or your antivirus may warn that it's from an "unknown publisher" or flag it as suspicious. This is a false positive.

Here's why it happens: this app does things that look identical to malware when a scanner only looks at behavior and not intent. It locks the screen, blocks keyboard and mouse input, can shut the computer down, and accepts remote commands over Telegram. That's exactly what a parental-control tool needs to do, and also exactly what a scanner's generic "this looks like a trojan" heuristic is tuned to catch. The app is also unsigned (a code-signing certificate costs money), which removes the one signal that would tell the scanner who built it.

It contains no malware. Nothing is hidden, nothing phones home except the Telegram bot you configure with your own token.

If you don't want to take that on trust, don't. Build it yourself from source — then the exe you run is the code you can read.

Build It Yourself

1. Install Rust (the installer adds cargo to your PATH).

2. Clone or download this repository.

3. From the project folder, run:

   cargo build --release
   

4. The compiled app is at target\release\screen-time-manager.exe. Run it directly, or copy it next to the install scripts.

The release binary on GitHub is built this exact way, from this exact source, on a clean GitHub Actions runner. Building locally just lets you verify that for yourself.

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Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• That's it!