Behind the Scenes: Redefining Kids' Screen Time With Pok Pok

If you saw navigating tech from ages 0-18 as “one of the most urgent, stressful challenges of our parenting generation,” and felt let down by the tools available, what would you do?

Most of us would do a little research, or maybe start a newsletter and podcast like yours truly 😉 Instead, Pok Pok Co-founder and CEO Melissa Cash and Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Esther Huybreghts founded a company with three others. Since then, the company has won multiple awards from Apple and has a 4.6 rating across 6500 reviews on the Apple App store alone. It’s also now available on the Google Play store.

Previously, I reviewed Pok Pok and said “What I like most about Pok Pok is that it’s all about exploration—there’s no score, no levels to complete, and no strict objectives. It’s just about playing, discovering, and using sound and movement to engage with the game world.”

I recently sat down with Cash and Huybreghts to talk about their design philosophy, what it’s like pitching a non-addictive app to investors, and the role screens play in parenting today. Here’s the interview in full and some of my highlights:

Reimagining Screens as Toys

Pok Pok immediately stands out because it doesn’t follow common gaming patterns—there are no levels, no points, no ads, no microtransactions. Instead, it’s all about open-ended exploration.

This isn’t accidental, but it does create a balancing act. “Kids don’t lie,” Cash told me. “If they’re bored, they’ll just stop. They walk away.” Pok Pok leans heavily on kids’ unfiltered feedback during development, ensuring their creations capture interest but don’t overdo it. Cash and Huybreghts described rounds of iteration through in-person sessions and with families giving feedback remotely.

I assumed the team would frequently need to scrap overly stimulating features, but Cash said that rarely happens. Their foundational design decisions—like avoiding levels—naturally guide them toward a calmer experience that sometimes needs to be more engaging. As CCO Huybreghts explained, “We want kids to feel like they’re leading the play, not being led by it.” As one example, almost every sound in the app is only triggered by a child’s interaction with one of the digital toys.

Parenting in a Screen-Filled World

Of course, we couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room: the complicated role of screens in parenting. Cash didn’t shy away from the tensions. “I think every generation has had this, starting with books, then radio, then television, now mobile devices. It’s like every generation is terrified of the next new technology and I get why,” she said. However, “this technology is not going anywhere but we can do something about it, make it a little more mindful, a little healthier, and enriching for kids.”

There’s even more nuance: “Screen time is a very social discussion,” Cash explained. “For families without access to childcare, devices can help support them.” She gave the example of a parent needing a screen to keep their kid safe for a few hours while taking care of other things around the house.

But she’s also aware of the risks. “We hear a lot of parents that will use screens as a tool to regulate a tantrum, where the child is told if they’ll stop crying and sit quietly they can have the iPad. And then it becomes a reward system so they act out to get it.” she noted.

Huybreghts offered a perspective that made me think hard about my own views: “we are so quick to blame screens. If your child had a tantrum leaving a playground, would you declare that you’re never going to the playground again?”

It’s a perspective that acknowledges the complexities of screens while recognizing their potential to support families when used intentionally.

Selling Calm Play to Investors

I’ll admit, I was curious about how they pitched Pok Pok to investors. A calm app with no ads, levels, or paid cosmetics to upgrade your character? It sounds like a tougher sell than proven microtransactions and game loops.

But according to Cash, their mission actually filtered investor conversations in a good way. “We started our business because we weren’t comfortable with what was out there,” she explained. Investors aligned with their vision understood the need for something different.

This clarity around their mission—providing parents with a trustworthy, enriching toy—has guided their work from day one.

Technology as a Toy

What resonated most for me in our conversation was their framing of screens as a new place to interact with toys. It reminded me of moments with my daughter where we type words into a document or search for how eagles hunt fish. Or even when we build a fort out of physical cushions and hide. We play a little, maybe construct or create something. And, when we’re done, we move on. In this context, they’re just toys in the moment. There’s no measurable progress or strong incentive to return.

Pok Pok operates on the same principle: give kids a toy they can use for creativity and exploration. Huybreghts explains the philosophy: “We're making toys, we're not making games necessarily. And we always like to compare ourselves to the wooden blocks or toy trains in your house or playroom. Kids can approach anything they want with whatever intent they set for the day.” The emphasis is clear—Pok Pok is about providing tools that encourage open-ended play, never dictating goals or telling kids what to do next.

Takeaways for Parents

After speaking with Cash and Huybreghts, a few key ideas stuck with me:

• Balance Matters: Cash and Huybreghts didn’t shy away from the challenges of screen time. Their philosophy of intentional, balanced use feels realistic and achievable, even in today’s tech-heavy world.

• Calm Is Radical: In a market full of bright, noisy, attention-grabbing apps, Pok Pok’s choice to design for calm is almost revolutionary. It’s proof that parents don’t have to settle for overstimulation.

• Tech Is A Helper, Not The Hero: Devices can support parents and kids, but they’re not a replacement for connection, creativity, and real-world play.

Final Thoughts

Pok Pok isn’t nudging your kid to come back every day. It’s a thoughtful, calm option for parents who want to feel good about screen time.

The company’s approach isn’t just about making better apps—it’s about rethinking how we use screens in our families. Cash and Huybreghts understand the pressures modern parents face and have built something that reflects that understanding. It’s not about fighting screens or embracing them unconditionally. It’s about using them thoughtfully, as tools that serve our families instead of the other way around.

As Cash put it, “We started this because we wanted something better for our kids.” That’s a sentiment that feels universal. As parents, we’re all looking for ways to make tools (like screens)—and the lives we build —a little better.

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