Most parental control software operates as a subscription service, so pricing tiers tend to align with device limits, though some offer free versions for basic protection on a limited number of devices. If your kids are strictly smartphone users, take a look at our roundup of mobile parental control apps. If getting parental control coverage installed on each of your family's devices starts to seem too difficult, consider a whole-network solution, such as Circle With Disney or Open DNS.
These systems perform content filtering at the router level, so your settings affect every device on the network. Naturally, you don't get the same fine level of control and detailed monitoring that you get with a local agent on each device, but this is a much broader solution.
At the very least, a good parental control tool features content filtering—the ability to block access to websites matching categories such as hate, violence, and porn. This type of filtering only really works if it's browser-independent and works with secure HTTPS sites. With no HTTPS filtering, a smart teen could bypass the system using a secure anonymizing proxy website or even a different web browser in some cases.
Most also have the option to permanently enable SafeSearch.
Apple's new Families page details ways to monitor kids' iPhone use
Of course, the most capable solutions also keep a detailed log of your child's web activity. Access scheduling is another very common feature. Some applications let parents set a weekly schedule for device usage, some control internet use in general, and others offer a combination of the two. A daily or weekly cap on internet usage can also be handy, especially if it applies to all your kids' devices. The best services apply these two ideas to individual desktop and mobile applications as well.
Qustodio, for example, can block apps entirely and set time usage limits.
This is particularly useful for children who have a habit of playing games or using social media apps when they should be doing homework. As kids get older, content filtering may start to seem pointless. Hey, you let them watch Game of Thrones , right? At some point, you start to worry more about their interaction with the wider world.
Sure, if their friends come over in person, you can at least meet them, but what about friends on social media and other contacts your child never mentions? Who are they, really, and what are your kids discussing with them? Although some supervision is acceptable, you still need to respect your child's basic right to privacy and encourage open discussion, rather than using parental control software as spyware.
Many services let you monitor contacts and messages and keep an eye out for potentially dangerous or unsanctioned situations. You can even block new contacts or view message content with some parental control software. Keep in mind that this primarily applies to SMS texts; messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Snapchat typically do not fall under the same scope. Social media tracking can also provide a glimpse into your child's social life, though many services now only monitor Facebook.
This kind of oversight usually requires that you either know your child's login credentials or convince them to log in and install the tracker's app. Disabling this kind of data collection is a snap for the child, so here, more than ever, you need to be on the same page. Most kids are on mobile devices at least some of the time, and many are almost exclusively accessing the internet on their phones.
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Fortunately, many parental control services offer a companion app that lets you view your child's activity, set basic rules, and view notifications as they arrive—NetNanny is a particularly noteworthy example. This kind of companion app is particularly useful for responding to access or time-extension requests on the go.
Otherwise, you manage everything online, where you have fine control over activity reports and restrictions. Any changes you make should propagate to your children's devices when they connect to the internet. When your child tries to visit a blocked site, makes a post using iffy language, or otherwise bends the rules it sends you a notification to your preferred channel, such as via the app, web, email, text, or some combination of those options.
When you get beyond the basics, parental control systems start to diverge, with many advanced features to help them stand out from the crowd. Among these standout features are the ability to track your child's YouTube and Hulu viewing history, check your child's location, or even remotely lock down a device to force them to divert their attention. You'll also find advanced versions of standard features. For example, the best content filters don't just use a database of categories. They analyze page content in real time so that, for example, they can allow access to a short-story site but block the erotica.
In order to make an informed choice for your own family, check out our full reviews of these parental control solutions. If you have any suggestions for software to try or just want to sound off about a particularly positive or negative experience, please add your comments and join the discussion. Time scheduler for internet, device, and application usage. Social monitoring only tracks Facebook. Supports Windows, Mac, Android. Web-based configuration and reporting. Cross-platform internet time allowance. App control for Android.
Parental Control & Kid Tracker on the App Store
Lacks advanced time management control. No limit on devices or child profiles. Flexible control of device and app usage. Content filtering limited to specific browsers. It cited concerns about mental health problems and other issues that come from heavy phone use. In response, Apple vowed to introduce new features to help parents manage their children's use of its smartphones. The new Families page, meanwhile, gives parents information about usage monitoring tools, tracking capabilities, family sharing features, health programs, privacy, and classroom use of Apple devices.
It noted the Kids section of the App Store includes "carefully curated" apps that can be restricted by whatever age parameters parents desire. Parents also have the ability to prevent kids from installing new apps or can enable a feature called "Ask to Buy" that requires the parents to approve or decline app purchases and downloads from the adults' device. Parents have the ability to keep track of where their kids are through the "Find My Friends" feature.
They can share movies, games and other items through a shared iCloud storage account, among other family friendly features. Innovators are thinking up new ways to make you, and the things around you, smarter. It ruined my life. To make things worse, My parents became helicopter parents. They put secret monitoring apps on my phone.
My uncles, cousins, family friends, everyone knew. I have deep resentment for my parents and I fear when they call me upstairs now if fear I will be harshly punished even if I have nothing to hide. I don't care if my parents monitor my phone.
I don't really do anything worrisome online. But what really irks me is when they take the device at random intervals for "my safety".
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The constant fear that I will be suddenly stopped and forced to readjust my situation is taking a bigger toll on my day-to-day mood than anything else. I do not understand why parents are monitoring there kids phones. Even though I am currently residing with my mom at this time, i do feel that a few boundary rules should be present. From the time I received my first cell-phone, she has always complained that I spend too much time on my phone. I could understand her point of view when she was paying for the phone. Now that I am 19 years old, I think that it is just plain ridiculous.
I recently made the mistake of creating a Facebook account and then relaying this information to a cousin of mine. When i asked her to keep this information to herself, she said that it was my place to tell my mom, not hers. However, she called my mom and told her anyway. Which resulted in my only being allowed to use my cell-phone at school, until we discussed the situation with my father. Since i am paying the phone bill, I feel that this is completely intrusive and hurtful.
Although he may be some-what disappointed, I don't mind talking with m dad about such things. What does bother me is when she talks to him first and gives her side of the story, making me look like the bad person. I began to lose trust in my mother at a very young age. She would say that she was going to do things with me, and then come up with an excuse when it didn't happen.
Also, she would promise that i would be spanked for something I did wrong, but sometimes didn't follow through. Even now, I don't trust her much at all. She is constantly saying what i should do, and how I should do it. Even helping her with things that she should know how to do for herself. But if they are older and you suspect that something bad is taking place, explain to them why you want to monitor their devices.
Don't just do it because you are the parent and "It's your responsibility". Children are a lot smarter these days than you may think. This is why i hide some things from my mom to this day, because i know that she is prone to over-reacting and telling my business to her friends, or whoever she deems necessary.
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