News
Maka Kids is redefining kids’ screen time with a streaming app optimized for well-being, not engagement
In a media landscape dominated by Baby Shark and Skibidi Toilet, one startup is reimagining children’s media by focusing on well-being, not watch time.
Maka Kids is building a streaming app for children ages zero to six featuring content designed for healthy development. The startup has now raised $3 million in seed funding to scale its platform, and is currently accepting waitlist sign-ups.
Unlike traditional streaming platforms, Maka Kids doesn’t have recommendation algorithms, ads, or auto-play. Instead, it is designed to offer a predictable experience that supports learning, creativity, and emotional growth.
Maka Kids was founded by Isabel Sheinman and Tanyella Leta, who previously founded Nabu, a non-profit venture that brought children’s books to more than 15 million children across 26 countries.
Sheinman and Leta were introduced at a dinner back in 2013 through a mutual friend and immediately hit it off, the pair told TechCrunch in an email. They said they initially over the fact that they both came from families of educators and entrepreneurs, an experience that first inspired Nabu and later fueled their passion for Maka Kids.
They began dreaming up the concept of Maka Kids after discussions with their friends, families, and customers at Nabu. They heard from parents who felt increasingly anxious about the effects of screen time on their children. Building on those concerns, the duo conducted hundreds of user interviews, which ultimately shaped their solution: a children’s streaming app designed with well-being at its core.
“We were seeing parents get completely overwhelmed trying to weigh decisions about what was unsafe, what was good, and understand why their kid was melting down every time screen time ended,” Sheinman said. “At the same time, we watched the children’s media ecosystem get louder, faster, more algorithmically driven. Looking at this problem, we felt uniquely positioned to deliver the relief that parents craved.”
All of the content on Maka Kids is evaluated using Maka Imprint, the startup’s patent-pending developmental framework created through two years of R&D in collaboration with researchers at the Yale Child Study Center. The framework maps seven core domains of early childhood development across more than 650 developmental indicators, including language, creativity, emotional skills, and growth mindset.
Maka Kids licenses content directly from IP holders and individual creators. The startup is also partnering directly with studios and animators to produce original content.
Every show on the platform goes through an analysis of pacing, stimulation levels, color contrast, and narrative structure. Its catalog features slower-paced, lower-stimulation content with genuine narrative arcs and stories from around the world.
The duo believes an important factor often missing from the screen time debate for kids is how much the right story, delivered at the right moment, can positively support a young child.
“Stories can support language development, emotional regulation, curiosity, and give kids a sense of how wide the world is,” Leta said. “Children’s media at its best is one of the most powerful developmental tools families have, when it’s designed with this intention. Most of the platforms children watch on today were designed for adult audiences, with a kids experience crudely bolted on as an afterthought. The incentive for the majority of kids’ streaming platforms is watch time, not well-being.”
When parents create a profile for their child, they can select channels focused on a variety of topics, such as kindness, STEM, emotional regulation, or movement, and then set preferred session lengths. From there, Maka Kids delivers curated, developmentally vetted content tailored to those selections.
The session then ends naturally, with wind-down cues from characters to help children calmly transition away from screen time without a meltdown.
Maka Kids is running a private beta on iOS this summer and plans to launch publicly this fall on iPhone and iPad, with casting support via AirPlay. Maka Kids says it already has thousands of families on its waitlist.
As for the startup’s business model, the app will operate on a subscription model, priced at $11.99 per month, with a discounted annual option.
In terms of the new funding, the startup plans to use it to grow its catalog of vetted shows. The round was led by Michigan Rise, with participation from Union Heritage Ventures, Flybridge, Also Capital, Detroit Venture Partners, Song United, Invest Detroit, Ann Arbor Spark Capital, and Segal Ventures, as well as angel investors.
“Longer term, our vision is to become the trust layer for every digital experience children have,” Sheinman said. “Embedded into games, edtech products, and shows, Maka Imprint can help developers align their products to what is actually good for kids and families. The kids category deserves a trusted industry standard, and that’s what we are building.”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
The Department of State Services has warned religious leaders in Osun State about an alleged plan by terrorists to attack churches, mosques, markets and other places where large numbers of people gather.
Politics Nigeria gathered that the warning was issued during separate meetings between DSS officials and leaders of the Muslim and Christian communities in Osogbo.
The security agency reportedly told the religious leaders that intelligence had uncovered plans to move terrorist activities into the southern part of the country, with the South-West identified as a possible target.
The alleged plot is believed to be connected to efforts to create fear and insecurity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The DSS reportedly advised religious organisations and other owners of public gathering centres to strengthen their security arrangements and remain vigilant.
President of the Osun State Muslim Community, Alhaji Mustapha Olawuyi, confirmed that the meeting with the DSS took place in Osogbo.
Olawuyi said the warning was serious and urged Muslims across the state to take the security advice seriously.
He said, “The meeting is true; it was held on Wednesday in Osogbo. We need to be careful and vigilant. These people (terrorists) have been trying to infiltrate Osun for quite some time.
“We had, some time ago, sent back some herders, numbering about 200, who flooded Osun from the Ikirun axis. There were also some individuals who came into the state on motorcycles. They didn’t understand our language and we had to send them back. The DSS is doing a very good job in terms of intelligence and alerting the people.”
Olawuyi also disclosed that the DSS had given specific instructions to mosque leaders on steps they should take to reduce the risk of attacks.
He later circulated an audio message to imams across the state, explaining some of the information presented during the meeting.
According to him, the security agency said terrorists could attempt to exploit crowded religious gatherings to cause casualties and create widespread panic.
He said, “The DSS came from Abuja to Osun to warn us about a plot by some politicians and terrorists to frustrate the 2027 election, and for every one of us to be careful.
“The officers said they had intelligence that the terrorists would mobilise to the southern part of the country and the South-West, especially to cause mayhem so that the election may not hold or cause apathy.
“They advised that all religious centres should be watchful. They told us not to allow anybody with a car to park close to the people or congregation during Jumat prayer or gathering. They warned us against allowing anybody to sleep in the mosque. They also told us to be careful of compromised commercial motorcycles and herders. They told us to have night guards at every mosque.”
The Christian community in the state also received a similar warning.
The Osun State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor John Adeleke, confirmed that the DSS met with Christian leaders and asked them to increase security awareness in churches and other places where people gather.
Adeleke said the security agency specifically urged churches to be cautious about unfamiliar vehicles and unknown visitors.
He said the warning was subsequently circulated among CAN blocs and other Christian groups in the state.
A report of the meeting also indicated that the DSS told Christian leaders that terrorists had allegedly mapped out Osun State as part of a wider plan to attack states in the country before the 2027 presidential election.
The report stated that the suspected attackers were allegedly planning a route through Kaduna and Jos before moving towards Osun State.
It identified churches, mosques, markets, schools, clubs and viewing centres among the places that could be targeted.
The report, titled, ‘The Report of the Meeting Held with the Department of State Security Osun State Command Today, Wednesday, 9th September, 2026’, was signed by the State Assistant Secretary, Osun CAN, Ajayi J.K.
The report read in part, “The DSS Osun State Command called for a meeting with the OSCAN Chairman, Rev. Dr John Adeleke, on the alertness of security in Osun State.
“They made it known, based on their intelligence and security expertise, that the attackers or the terrorists have mapped Osun State, and that between now and the period of the coming presidential election, they will attack some states. They planned to go through Kaduna, Jos and come down to Osun State.
“Their targets are places of gathering, such as churches, mosques, markets, schools, clubs or viewing centres, etc., and we are asked to put tight security in place in our churches.”
Adeleke said church leaders were also advised to discourage activities that could expose worshippers to unnecessary risks, particularly at night.
He said visitors should be properly identified before being allowed into church premises, while school owners and managers of other public facilities were also expected to review their security arrangements.
He said, “After sharing with us that the churches will need to be careful and that we should encourage our churches also to be on alert, we sent the message to all our blocs and different platforms, where our people may be informed.
“For example, they told us we should not allow a strange vehicle to park near churches because there may be explosives inside the car. They also told our leaders throughout the state that they should be careful, and any visitor that comes around should be questioned before we allow him or her into the premises of the church.
“They also said we should be careful of night programmes, so that the people will not take advantage of the darkness to perpetrate their evil plans. The message is that our people should be security-conscious. If they see anything, they should say it. They also told us to inform school owners to be security-conscious. The government is aware too. God is our divine protector, but in areas where we need to be careful, we want to be,” Adeleke added.
Osun has also witnessed heightened political and security concerns in recent weeks following the August 15 governorship election in the state.
The election was conducted amid calls for security agencies to protect voters, electoral officials and collation centres.
The latest DSS warning has therefore placed churches, mosques and other public gathering centres on heightened alert.
Religious leaders are now expected to pass the security information down to worshippers and members of their communities.
The advice includes reporting suspicious persons and activities, avoiding unidentified vehicles around crowded locations and ensuring that security arrangements are in place during major programmes.
Nonetheless, The DSS has not publicly released detailed information on the alleged terrorist intelligence or identified the specific groups suspected of planning the attacks.
-
Featured3 days agoChildren Are Suffering in Silence: Plateau Child Protection Network Rates Abuse Crisis 9/10
-
Business4 days ago
CBN to prioritise terrorism financing supervision
-
News4 days ago
Ogun, Kano, Delta top Nigeria’s highest Right of Way charges for fibre – Technology Times
-
News4 days ago
Ambassador Obi Lifts Falconets’ Spirits After Spain Defeat, Brings Taste of Home to Poland
