Shieldly

Ghana's smartest parental shield against explicit content

Score: 7.5/10GhanaMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Ghanaian children have unrestricted access to porn sites with zero age gates, leading to widespread early exposure to explicit content

Solution

Shieldly is a mobile app that lets Ghanaian parents create profiles for their children and enforce DNS-level blocking of porn sites using locally curated lists. It delivers simple activity reports and instant alerts directly to the parent's phone. Parents can manage everything remotely without needing technical expertise.

Target Audience

Ghanaian parents, families, and child-protection advocates

Differentiator

Built exclusively for the Ghanaian market with Twi language support, ISP-specific configurations for MTN and Vodafone, and blocklists that target locally popular adult sites ignored by global tools.

Brand Voice

supportive

Features

Child Profile Creation

must-have25h

Create and manage multiple child profiles with age-based protection levels

DNS Blocking Engine

must-have45h

On-device DNS-over-HTTPS that blocks porn domains using Ghana-optimized lists

Activity Dashboard

must-have35h

Visual reports showing blocked attempts and browsing patterns

Instant Alerts

must-have30h

Push notifications when children attempt to visit explicit sites

Remote Parent Controls

must-have40h

Change settings and view reports from parent's own device

Custom Block Lists

nice-to-have20h

Add personal websites to block or allow

Screen Time Scheduler

nice-to-have30h

Set internet curfews and daily limits

Local Language Resources

nice-to-have25h

Digital safety guides available in Twi, Ga, and English

Advanced AI Scanner

future65h

Real-time content classification for new domains

Total Build Time: 315 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
phonetextNo
full_nametextYes
roletextNo
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • has many children
  • has one subscription

children

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
nametextNo
ageintNo
protection_leveltextNo
device_idtextYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • belongs to user
  • has many activity_logs

activity_logs

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
child_iduuidNo
domaintextNo
blockedboolNo
timestamptimestampNo
categorytextYes

Relationships:

  • belongs to child

subscriptions

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
tiertextNo
paystack_reftextYes
statustextNo
expires_attimestampYes

Relationships:

  • belongs to user

API Endpoints

POST
/api/auth/otp

Send and verify phone OTP login

POST
/api/children

Create new child profile

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/logs

Log blocked or allowed domain from child device

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/blocklist

Fetch latest compiled blocklist for device

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/reports

Get activity reports for all children

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/subscription/webhook

Handle Paystack payment events

Tech Stack

Frontend
Flutter with Riverpod
Backend
Node.js with Express and Prisma
Database
PostgreSQL
Auth
JWT with phone OTP
Payments
Paystack
Hosting
Render for API, Railway for DB, App Stores for mobile apps
Additional Tools
dns-over-httpsOneSignal for notifications

Build Timeline

Week 1: Foundation and auth

48h
  • Project setup
  • Auth system
  • Basic Flutter UI

Week 2: Profiles and database

52h
  • Schema + Prisma models
  • Child profile CRUD
  • Parent dashboard

Week 3: Core blocking engine

55h
  • DNS filtering module
  • Blocklist service and sync

Week 4: Reporting and alerts

45h
  • Logging system
  • Report UI
  • Push notification flow

Week 5: Payments and polish

40h
  • Paystack integration
  • Testing with Ghana numbers
  • App store assets
Total Timeline: 5 weeks • 315 hours

Pricing Tiers

Starter

$0/mo

Single device only

  • 1 child
  • Basic blocklist
  • Weekly summary

Family

$25/mo

None

  • 4 children
  • Real-time alerts
  • Custom lists
  • Twi resources

Guardian

$49/mo

None

  • Unlimited children
  • Priority blocklist updates
  • Exportable reports
  • Dedicated support

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11809%$405$4,860
Month 61,65017%$7,012$84,150

Unit Economics

$14
CAC
$265
LTV
7%
Churn
82%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 18.9xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Protect Ghana's Children From Porn Sites

Easy-to-use app with local blocklists, instant alerts, and reports designed for Ghanaian families.

Feature Highlights

Blocks porn before it loads
Works on MTN, Vodafone, AirtelTigo
Instant alerts in your pocket
Made with Ghanaian parents for Ghanaian parents

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'My daughter can no longer access those sites. Thank you Shieldly.' - Abena, Accra"
"'The reports help me talk to my son without fighting.' - Kwame, Kumasi"

First Three Customers

Post free 6-month premium offers in the top 5 Ghanaian parenting Facebook groups (targeting 50+ member admins first). Partner with 3 PTAs at private schools in East Legon and Cantonments for pilot programs. Run hyper-local Facebook ads geo-targeted to Accra and Kumasi parents aged 28-45 using 'child safety' interests.

Launch Channels

ProductHuntr/parentingGhanaWebFacebook Parenting Groups GhanaX Ghana tech influencers

SEO Keywords

parental control app ghanablock porn sites ghanaprotect child from pornography ghanabest parental control ghanainternet safety for children ghana

Competitive Analysis

Qustodio

qustodio.com
$60/year
Strength

Polished multi-device support

Weakness

No Ghana-specific lists or languages, expensive in local currency

Our Advantage

Hyper-local lists and pricing tailored for Ghanaian incomes

$14/month
Strength

Strong social media monitoring

Weakness

US-centric content categories, no local ISP integration

Our Advantage

Focus on porn blocking with Ghana-relevant domains and lower price point

🏰 Moat Strategy

Continuous anonymized data from Ghanaian households improves the blocklist faster than global competitors can copy, creating a compounding local data advantage.

⏰ Why Now?

Smartphone adoption among Ghanaian children aged 8-14 has doubled in the last 24 months while national conversation about online safety has intensified following recent media reports.

Risks & Mitigation

markethigh severity

Parents may be reluctant to pay $25/month

Mitigation

Start with strong freemium tier and offer mobile money weekly payments

technicalmedium severity

Children finding ways to bypass DNS blocking

Mitigation

Combine multiple techniques and update lists daily

legalmedium severity

Data protection compliance with NDPC Ghana

Mitigation

Only log domains, not full URLs or personal content; work with local lawyer from day one

Validation Roadmap

pre-build12 days

Interview 40 Ghanaian parents in Accra and Kumasi

Success: At least 65% say they would pay for a local solution

mvp25 days

Private beta with 25 families for 3 weeks

Success: 18+ families still actively using after beta

launch14 days

Launch on ProductHunt and major Ghana Facebook groups

Success: 300 signups in first 14 days

Pivot Options

  • B2B licensing to Ghanaian private schools
  • Expand to full digital wellbeing including social media
  • White-label solution for African telcos

Quick Stats

Build Time
315h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$7,200
Market Size
$9.2M
Features
9
Database Tables
4
API Endpoints
6