In our Sound of Trust survey of 500 U.S. parents, 77% said their kids have heard inappropriate music inside apps, and smartwatches were one of the places parents told us kids hear music. Now we're part of the solution: we've partnered with TickTalk to power TickTalk Radio™, a parent-controlled music service on TickTalk's new TickTalk 6 smartwatch for kids ages 3 to 12. Every station is rated by age tier and built with daily moments in mind. The integration delivers ad-free, fully licensed major-label music, and parents control which age tiers and stations their kids can hear. For parents, that means their kids get the independence to find music they love, without having to screen each song themselves. Our curators and music rating system already did that, one song at a time.
What TickTalk Radio™ gives kids and parents
TickTalk 6 is TickTalk's newest smartwatch for kids ages 3 to 12, built as a phone alternative for families. For kids, TickTalk Radio™ means a music service of their own on the watch: fully licensed major-label music they recognize, plus wellness stations for calm, focus, sleep, and mindfulness.
For parents, it means control without hovering. From the TickTalk Parent App, they can preview any station, switch individual channels on or off, and set daily listening limits. Focus Mode limits listening to wellness stations during homework or bedtime, and there are no ads, algorithmic feeds, or open search functions to manage.
"Caught in the parenting paradox, we built TickTalk Radio™ to solve a common parenting struggle: how to give kids access to music without opening the door to unrestricted streaming platforms," said Ying Gong, CEO of TickTalk Tech. "This gives children a fun, safe, and age-curated audio experience tailored to their growing independence, while giving parents total peace of mind through complete content controls, zero ads, and no open internet browsing."
Every station curated and rated for kids
Every TickTalk Radio™ station was built by our music curators for one audience: kids. Our music rating system scored every track first, so curators built each tier from music already sorted by lyrics and themes.
Kids' music stations curated by age and moment.
TickTalk Radio™'s Junior (ages 3 to 5), Explorer (ages 6 to 9), and Tween (ages 9 to 12) tiers help parents choose music suited to their child. Six categories fit the day: Genre-Based for music variety, Top Picks for best-of selections, Fun Time for activities, Good Vibes for moods, Holiday Fun for celebrations, and Sleep, Rest & Focus for bedtime and studying. Together, they give kids music for every moment and parents clear choices as their children grow.
Children's favorites and mainstream artists in one service.
Each tier blends children's favorites with mainstream artists, music that meets kids' needs while enriching their lives.
Family-friendly music goes past the clean label
The industry's "explicit" tag was built to screen language. It says nothing about whether a song's themes suit a six-year-old, and parents notice the difference.
"The challenge isn't filtering out the obviously inappropriate. It's the clean pop songs living in the gray zone between explicit and actually appropriate for kids," says Eric "Stens" Stensvaag, Director of Curation at Feed.fm.
Filtered beyond "clean." Our proprietary music rating system sorts tracks into five tiers (Safe, Mild, Teen, Adult, and Extreme) based on lyrics and themes. Refined for TickTalk, it screens for violence, sexual content, and drug or alcohol use as well as explicit language. TickTalk's Junior, Explorer, and Tween tiers build on that system and add layers of context filtering for each age group.
That's the difference between a clean playlist and family-friendly music a parent can hand to a 4-year-old without checking every track first.
What a Branded Music Service makes possible
TickTalk makes kids' hardware and parent software. It didn't have to become a music company to launch a music service. With Feed.fm Branded Music Service, we handle music licensing and streaming, and our music intelligence matches every track to the right age tier and moment. TickTalk Radio™ runs as TickTalk's own product, under TickTalk's name, inside TickTalk's parent controls.
"Kids deserve the joy and discovery that comes with music, without requiring parents to open the door to a full consumer streaming experience," says Lauren Pufpaf, President and COO of Feed.fm. "TickTalk Radio™ shows what's possible when music is thoughtfully designed for a specific audience, combining licensed music, age-aware curation and parental controls in an experience built specifically for kids."
It's also a revenue line. TickTalk Radio™ is included in the TickTalk Wireless Premium plan or available as a $4.99 monthly add-on, and our survey suggests parents are ready for that: 82% said they would pay for guaranteed clean music. For brands with family audiences, from kids' devices to education and entertainment apps, a Branded Music Service turns age-appropriate music into a feature parents value and a reason families stay.
"Music was a natural next step for TickTalk 6, but licensing, curating, and streaming music for kids isn't our core business," Gong added. "Feed.fm handled all of it, from major-label licensing to age-rated stations built by their curators, so we could launch TickTalk Radio™ under our own name, inside our own parent controls, and stay focused on the watch and the families who use it."
Music parents can trust, under your brand
Parents notice the music inside your product, and a music experience built for their kids builds trust in your brand. TickTalk Radio™ shows what that looks like when the curation is attuned to the audience.
If families use your product, book a free music consultation and we'll show you what a family-friendly music service could look like in your app or device.
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