Our Family Culture app targets parents amid youth mental health strain

Two longtime educators have launched Our Family Culture, a mobile app for parents that turns family values into daily habits, discussions, and journaling. The Columbus-area startup says the iOS and Android app is designed to help families build emotionally healthy homes as anxiety, loneliness, and social isolation rise among young people.

Why it matters: - The app aims to give parents a practical way to move from broad parenting advice to daily routines that shape family identity and emotional health. - The launch comes as anxiety, depression, loneliness and social isolation among young people remain a major concern for families and schools. - Our Family Culture is designed to make intentional family culture-building more accessible through a low-cost subscription.

What happened: - Siblings Steven Shapiro and Nancy Shapiro Rapport launched Our Family Culture in Columbus, Ohio. - The pair built the app after more than 30 years each in public education. - Nancy Shapiro Rapport worked as a middle school counselor, and Steven Shapiro worked as a teacher and educational leader. - The launch follows a recent Psychology Today feature on the founders and their approach to raising emotionally healthy children in a digital world.

The details: - Our Family Culture uses the Fundamentals System, a behavior-based methodology originally developed by David J. Friedman, author of Culture, By Design. - Families choose 13 to 25 custom Family Fundamentals for their household. - The app then reinforces those values with daily discussion prompts, videos, activities, scenarios, recommended books and other resources. - Users can invite co-parents and caregivers to participate. - The platform includes a growing library of parenting resources. - Families can record written, audio and video journal entries inside the app. - The company says the app also connects users with a community of parents focused on raising resilient, emotionally healthy children. - The app is available for iOS and Android. - Introductory pricing is $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. - More information and a free trial are available at OurFamilyCulture.org. - Parenting With Purpose, LLC says its flagship product is a first-of-its-kind mobile app for building an enduring family culture rooted in shared values and purposeful action.

Between the lines: - The product is trying to occupy a middle ground between generic family-planning tools and broader parenting education. - By emphasizing daily practice, journaling and shared language, the app frames family culture as something parents can actively design rather than passively absorb. - The founders are leaning on their education backgrounds to position the app as practical rather than aspirational.

What's next: - The app's value will likely hinge on whether parents adopt the Fundamentals approach as part of their daily routines. - Parenting With Purpose is also offering founder interviews, app screenshots and high-resolution photos to media outlets. - The company is encouraging parents to start with a free trial.