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Today’s kids are online and on their phones day and night. Because of this, they’re potentially exposed to a wide range of age-inappropriate and dangerous materials. They can also spend too much time online overall. How can you protect your kids and guide them toward a more balanced online experience? You may be considering a parental control app to monitor their usage, online exposure, and location, but choosing the right parental control app can feel overwhelming–you want to track your kids, but not be too intrusive.
While you can monitor some online content through your cell phone provider like AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile, a parental control app is much more effective when it comes to monitoring a phone for kids, or other internet connected devices like tablets, computers, and smartwatches for kids. From the ability to block content to restricting screens at bedtime, there’s an app to fit what your kids are doing and seeing online. Here, we’ll run down the best parental control apps available right now.
The Bark App is a full-featured parental control app developed by a father of two. Available on most operating systems and devices, Bark grows with kids, offering AI monitoring for dangerous cyber behaviors, as well as multiple scheduling options. The app monitors for issues like bullying, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideations by watching how and what the child is searching or accessing. If there are repeated searches at sites that encourage or focus on common subject words, parents receive an alert. They can then discuss the topics in person. Bark also provides an online blog for parents to guide discussions about difficult topics on or offline.
Bark’s powerful web filters and affordable price makes it a great option that grows with families.
By using spyware technology, Eyezy helps you get and keep eyes on your child’s online activity with additional features like dark web monitoring. You can set it up to send alerts for cyberbullying, sexual content, and more, as well as letting you filter content, manage screen time, and track their location.
See everything, everywhere, is the spyware/parental control app Eyezy’s tagline and the app does what it says; it’s up to parents to process that information.
The all-in-one app for digital parenting and family well-being, Kaspersky Safe Kids works to keep kids safe online, while also encouraging offline balance (it does the latter by scheduling set down-time while also allowing for additional screen-time requests in real time).You can also block or allow apps based on the child’s age and/or the category or type of app, plus parents and caregivers can accept or reject requests for access to different apps and features in real time.
Kaspersky Safe Kids does what the name says, i.e., keeps kids safe online through a combination of monitoring, scheduling, rules, and reporting.
Norton Family has the heart of their mission in the name: Family. The app encourages setting family screen time rules and includes their distraction-free School Time mode for only necessary online activities. Plus, parents can receive weekly and monthly reports via email or access them through a parent portal.
An easily-installed app with customizable features that extend beyond the home.
Qustodio supports a wide range of platforms and parental controls and is one of the only parental control apps with the ability to monitor, log, view, and block phone calls and numbers on Android.
Qustodio is a full-featured parental control app with the unique ability to read texts and block calls.
A great counterpart to Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link focuses on monitoring Android phones. Once kids turn 13 they can make their own Google account and opt out, but until then parents have the ability to track daily screen time and lock or unlock their child’s phone remotely.
While there are limitations to Google Family Link, it’s a great option for under-13-year old kids using an Android phone.
A basic parental control app for Android devices, the ESET Parental Control features a functional free version, is easy for kids and parents to navigate, and a “budget” for daily usage. The premium version is affordable and features geofencing and full activity reports.
ESET Parental Control for Android offers solid Android monitoring through the same company as ESET Smart Security.
Apple Screen Time is a great option for iPhone users because it’s already integrated into iOS 16. Parents and caregivers only need to change and adjust settings to their needs and the price is right too: Free! First, you’ll need to set up Family Sharing (if you’re not setting up your child’s own device directly). Then, navigate Settings, then Family, your child’s name, and then Screen Time. Here, you follow the on-screen instructions to add age-limited content restrictions, approvals for purchases or downloads, app restrictions, screen time limits, and other parental controls.
Apple’s Screen Time is already integrated into iPhones at no extra charge and offers a solid slate of monitoring, scheduling, and reporting.
As you research the parental control app that works the best for your needs, consider these features in your decision, ranging from simple monitoring of screen time to watching for content searches you would deem inappropriate or dangerous. Parental control app options can include: The ability to block apps, keywords, content, and websites; monitoring text messages, calls, photos, social media, and apps; creating screen time allowances and limits, rewards, and schedules; monitoring dangerous or inappropriate content that could indicate cyberbullying, depression, suicidal ideations, or eating disorders; dark or adult content searches; geofencing or GPS tracking of user locations; insights into how, where, when, and what is being accessed; study time monitoring, including specific usage at school; tailored parental and kids alerts; and being able to stop/start internet access remotely. Parental control apps are also designed to focus and help with broader goals: Better time management, more family time, less screen time, or more focused study habits.
Just as you would do your research when looking for, say, the best headphones, you need to consider exactly what you need out of a parental control app. Every family is different and as kids grow, there are different needs, so think about the following:
Using a parental control app may be as simple as installing it on a 6-year-old’s iPad, or more complicated—your teenager, for example, needs fewer online distractions so they can study more. A middle schooler may want to ride their big kid’s bike home from school for independence, but you want to know they’ve made it home safely. Be sure to choose an app that monitors your child’s activity to an appropriate level.
Since there’s a big mix of free and paid options, it’s sensible to check you’re not paying for services you don’t need. Check exactly which features each app offers and see if there are cheaper (or free) options that do a comparable job.
It’s important, too, to choose an app suited to your own tech comfort level. Several of these apps offer a large amount of data and customization, so if that’s going to be overwhelming, it’s better to go with a simpler app that you’ll actually use.
Teenagers especially may balk at the idea of a parental control app, so it’s important to have an honest conversation with your kids about why you’re using one. The truth is that there are dangers on the internet and restricting or setting boundaries on screen time can be helpful in completing homework, having family time or settling down for bedtime. As a parent, one of my kids is on Life360 so I know when she’s made it back to her dorm, and both my kids use versions of social media and internet usage scheduling so they don’t get distracted when they need to study or be more present with their friends and family.
To help you narrow down your options, here are some questions you may want to consider asking:
After you select a parental control act, are you prepared for what you might find or be notified about? Being ready for any tough discoveries is something to consider, so keeping an open conversation about dangerous sites and trust levels is crucial when utilizing a parental control app. Just restricting or tracking kids, especially older ones, may not have the best effect. Older kids might even look for a work-around to evade monitoring, like a VPN, while some parental control apps stop at age 13.
To choose the best parental control apps, I researched the individual app options, parent and industry reviews on sites and across social media, and talked to other parents about what they liked and didn’t like. I also relied on my own experience as a mom of two navigating online monitoring of my kids.
There are many factors that I considered when selecting the best parental control apps, including the following:
So, which parental control app has the best combination of price, device compatibility, and device limits? While parental control apps all offer monitoring, there are features like budget, compatibility, and limits that can make each one attractive to different families. Check out these options and keep in mind that pricing listed is at the current rate; parental control apps are often discounted.
Parental control app | Price | Compatibility | Device limits |
---|---|---|---|
Free 7-day trial, $5.99/month, $14/month, $29/month, $6/month | iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets, Laptops, Computers, Chromebooks, Amazon Fire tablets | Unlimited devices | |
$38.39/first month, $22.39/month for 3 months, 7.99/month for 12 months | Android, iPhone | Premium plan: 1 device; Family plan: Up to 3 devices; Can purchase multiple family kits for lower monthly rate | |
$20.99 for first year, $22.99 on auto renew, $74.99 with additional features | Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS | Unlimited devices/individuals | |
Free with Norton 360 Deluxe, $49.95 a year | Android, iOS, Windows | Unlimited for home/personal use only | |
Free, basic features, $54.95 a year, $99.95 a year | Any platform or operating system, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS, Kindle | Free: 1 Device; Basic: Up to 5 Devices; Complete: Unlimited devices | |
Free | Android, Google, Google Chrome | Unlimited | |
Free version, 30-day free trial of premium version, $29.99/year | Android only | Unlimited | |
Apple Screen Time | Free | iOS, Apple devices only | Integrated into each device |
If you want... | Use this parental control app |
---|---|
An app that can grow with your family | |
A spyware parental control app that sees all and hands it over to you | |
An app backed by anti-virus software | |
A great option for families | |
An app that’s great for Android and Google Chrome | |
An affordable option with great features | |
An app for Android only | |
An app that’s already integrated into iOS | Apple Screen Time |
A parental control app is an app that parents or caregivers add to their children’s phones, computers, and tablets to monitor a wide range of online activities, schedule screen downtime, and restrict or block dangerous websites or activities. It works through a combination of available features to scan your child’s activities and movement through online searches, location tracking and monitoring, keyword and site searches, and screen time scheduling.
Many parental control apps use geofencing as part of their location tracking. It’s simply the best combination of technologies like GPS (Global Positioning System) and cellular data to find the location of a tracked device. In the case of a parental control app, geofencing pinpoints your child’s location by their device’s location; it builds a “geofence” around that device and alerts you if your child moves outside of it.
Some parents and kids may find the idea of monitoring online activities as intrusive or unethical, especially as children enter their tween and teenage years. The choice to add a monitoring app can be made for many different reasons, and finding the right balance of monitoring is something individual to each family. By researching the included features and functionality of the apps, the ultimate goal would be to balance trust with safety.
Most parental control apps require they be downloaded and installed onto the child’s device. While you can add the app or use your cell phone provider’s included monitoring when you purchase a new phone for the child, I find it’s best to keep communication transparent from the start. Younger children may not realize the app is there, but installing it can be an opportunity to start an open conversation about being careful online and finding balance between online and offline activities.
The goal of parental control apps is to keep your children safe. As with any online activity, there is always a danger in coming across the wrong site or person, but the online parent monitoring helps to further protect as well. Many of the app providers offer the option to not have your child’s data transmitted or shared in any way.
Parental control apps have a wide price range, from free to over $100 a year. Most offer discounts based on the longevity of the subscription plan.
Some parental control apps use AI searches to monitor cyberbullying, suicidal ideations, and depressive tendencies.
A VPN is a virtual private network. They are designed to protect internet privacy using encryption and hiding IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. While a VPN can be useful in situations like using public wi-fi, older or technologically savvy kids can only potentially use one to evade a parental control app.
While the ultimate monitoring app for parental control is the one that works best for your family’s needs, we like the Bark and Qustodio apps because of their budget-friendly prices and large variety of monitoring options.
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