A better first phone

Freedom they feel.
Safety you see.

A safer first smartphone that grows with your child. MAEK transforms your child’s Android phone into a safe, guided and age-appropriate experience, while giving you the visibility you need as they become more independent.

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Australian companyChild eSafety alignedBuilt by parents, for parents
Parent and child exploring a smartphone together
The challenge for modern parents

Your child is ready for their first phone. You might not feel ready to give them one.

Here’s what parents told us worries them about giving their children their first smartphone.

Parents Concern #1

Cyberbullying

Hurtful messages from peers can follow children beyond school and be difficult to face alone.

“I worry about online bullying and how my child would handle it.”

Parents Concern #2

Social media and addictive apps

Apps and feeds can pull children into experiences before they are ready for them.

“I worry social media and addictive apps will become part of their day before they’re ready.”

Parents Concern #3

Strangers or unsafe contacts

Parents want to know who can reach their child and keep unwanted contact away.

“I want to know what’s actually happening.”

Parents Concern #4

Harmful interactions

Unkind or manipulative exchanges can affect how safe a child feels online.

“I’m concerned about harmful interactions they may not tell me about.”

Parents Concern #5

Too much screen time

It can be difficult to set healthy boundaries once a phone is part of everyday life.

“I want them to have a phone, but I don’t want it to become all they do.”

Parents Concern #6

Inappropriate internet content

An unrestricted phone can expose children to material they are not ready to see.

“My main concern is that they may not yet have the maturity to understand or manage all the risks.”

The MAEK answer

MAEK prepares your child for more than just their first phone.

MAEK helps children gradually build the skills, judgement and confidence they need to navigate the digital world.

EXPLORE

Freedom at the right pace

Age-appropriate apps, answers, approved contacts, social experiences and screen time that evolve as they grow.

PROTECT

A safer digital world

Protection from inappropriate content, unsafe interactions, bullying, scams and other online risks.

TEACH

Guidance along the way

Age-appropriate guidance that builds healthy habits, better judgement and responsible digital behaviour.

UNDERSTAND

Know what matters

Meaningful insights, changes in behaviour and early signals when something may need your attention.

A smartphone journey that grows with your child

From their first steps online to greater digital independence.

  1. Ages 6–7

    Protected exploration

    Learn the basics together, with parent-led choices and simple safety habits.

  2. Ages 7–9

    Guided participation

    Practise making safe choices, staying connected and asking for help.

  3. Ages 9–11

    Supported independence

    Build healthy habits and better judgement, with more room to explore.

  4. Ages 11–13

    Emerging autonomy

    Navigate friendships and growing privacy, with shared boundaries and support.

  5. Ages 13–15

    Responsible independence

    Take more responsibility for online choices, wellbeing and personal boundaries.

  6. Ages 15–16+

    Independent digital citizenship

    Manage digital life with confidence, with parents moving into an advisory role.

Everything they need for their first phone

Start with what they need. Introduce more when they’re ready.

Parental controls tell you what your child can do. MAEK helps you understand how your child is doing.

MAEK Essential
MAEK Intelligent

MAEK Essential

A safer startMAEK Essential

Parent control

Manage contacts, apps, social media, screen time, app store and phone settings from one parent experience.

Safe internet & content

Start with age-appropriate access rather than the unrestricted internet.

Apps & social media

You decide which apps, social experiences and platforms they can access.

Manage contacts

Control who your child can communicate with.

Calling & messaging

Give them the essential communication features they need to stay connected with you.

Track location

Know where they are when you need to.

Screen time

Set healthy boundaries around when and how they use their phone.

MAEK Intelligent Coming soon

MAEK Intelligent · Coming soon

Early Warning Detection

Receive alerts when your child may be encountering bullying, strangers, predators, scams or other concerning situations.

Bullying and unsafe interactions

Recognise signals that a conversation or social experience may need your attention.

Suspicious conversations and scams

Spot potential risks from new contacts, suspicious requests or concerning exchanges.

A clearer picture

Bring related signals together so you can decide when to check in with your child.

MAEK Intelligent · Coming soon

Behaviour Intelligence

Understand meaningful changes in behaviour, compulsive use and potentially harmful digital influences.

Changes in use

Notice shifts in when and how your child uses their phone.

Hard-to-stop patterns

Recognise use that may be becoming difficult to manage.

Digital influences

See patterns around content and interactions that may be affecting them.

MAEK Intelligent · Coming soon

Digital Development Insights

See how your child’s digital readiness and behaviours are developing over time.

Progress over time

Follow how their digital habits and judgement develop.

What is changing

See meaningful shifts in use, communication and independence.

The next step

Understand where they may be ready for more freedom or need more guidance.

MAEK Intelligent · Coming soon

Development Coaching

Help your child build the skills and behaviours they need for increasing digital independence.

Guidance for your child

Age-appropriate support for handling everyday digital situations.

Conversations for parents

Practical prompts to help you talk about what is happening online.

Growing independence

Support healthy habits and better judgement as their digital world expands.

Turn an Android phone into their first phone

How it works

You don’t need to buy a special kids phone. MAEK can be installed on an Android smartphone that you already have at home, transforming it into a safe, guided and age-appropriate environment.

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Choose an Android phone

Use a compatible Android phone you already have, or buy a new one. Add a SIM and they have a real smartphone.

Install MAEK

To set up MAEK, bring your child’s Android phone to a MAEK installation location, where we’ll install it for you.

You’re connected

Manage their digital experience through MAEK and gradually give them more independence as they grow.

Pricing

Start with what they need today. Add more intelligence as they grow.

MAEK Essential

$21.99/month

Everything you need to give your child their first smartphone with greater confidence.

  • MAEK child-safe phone environment
  • Parental controls
    • Manage contacts
    • App & social media controls
    • Screen time controls
  • Essential apps
    • Chores
    • Emotions management
    • Journal
  • MAEK AI with age-appropriate answers (Coming soon)
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MAEK Intelligent Coming soon

$39.99/month

Everything in MAEK Essential, plus intelligence that helps you understand when something may need your attention.

  • Early Warning Detection
    • Receive alerts when your child may be encountering bullying, strangers, predators, scams or other concerning situations.
  • Behaviour Intelligence
    • Understand meaningful changes in behaviour, compulsive use and potentially harmful digital influences.
  • Digital Development Insights
    • See how your child’s digital readiness and behaviours are developing over time.
  • Development Coaching
    • Help your child build the skills and behaviours they need for increasing digital independence.
Join the Waitlist
MAEK Waitlist

Be among the first to experience MAEK.

Join the waitlist for families in Australia. Tell us what matters most for your child’s first smartphone, and we’ll keep you updated as MAEK becomes available.

Australian companyChild eSafety alignedBuilt by parents, for parents

Join the MAEK Australia Waitlist

Your concerns for your child using smartphone *

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The people behind MAEK

Meet the team

Maggie Hu
Founder & CEO

Maggie Hu

Mom and entrepreneur, with 20 years developing digital products and bringing innovative technologies to market.

Kelvin McGrath
Co-founder & CTO

Kelvin McGrath

Dad and former multinational CIO and founder specialising in AI startups and scalable cloud architecture.

Advisors

Kathleen Conlon

Kathleen Conlon

Chair, Non-executive Director

A leader in operations, technology and change management, awarded the Commonwealth Centenary Medal for business leadership.

Robert Dunn

Robert Dunn

Deputy Chair, BaptistCare

Experienced healthcare executive and board leader bringing deep expertise in healthcare, governance, strategy and organisational leadership.

Jenny Francis

Jenny Francis

GAICD, Digital, Data and AI, Transformation, Cybersecurity

With a background in psychology and neuroscience, Jenny leads digital transformation at Hunter Water, guiding a team that keeps its information systems secure, reliable and effective.

Ken Gallacher

Ken Gallacher

Board, ARC, Interim CIO

Former CIO advising boards and executives on technology, transformation and AI, helping stabilise critical programs and restore delivery confidence.

Thierry Manor

Thierry Manor

Chief Operating Officer

Experienced executive and co-founder with leadership across operations, commercial strategy and professional services, and board advisory experience with startups.

Amy Easton

Amy Easton

Integrative psychologist and coach

Psychologist, consultant and researcher working across psychology, leadership, systems thinking and human development to support meaningful change.

Zsenette Kalush

Zsenette Kalush

Change Lead, Digital Transformation

Human-centred transformation consultant with expertise in change management, people, culture and capability development, paired with strong commercial acumen.

Fatima Asanovski

Fatima Asanovski

Product Manager

CommBank product manager with experience in business banking, product strategy and change, and a background as an ecommerce co-founder.