- Cyberbullying and predator alerts
- Block apps and limit screen time
- Breach alerts, Dark Web monitoring, VPN & more
- Limited time offer: 60% off
- Protects over 5 million children
- Monitor texts, email, and over 30 apps
- Screen time management & website blocking
- GPS location tracking + geofencing alerts
- View conversations & social media profiles
- Compatible with Android & iOS devices
- Supporting 1.5M customers
- Monitor social media activity
- Compatible with Android & iOS devices
- Bank-grade encryption keeps your data secure
- Compatible with most devices
- Receive AI monitoring alerts
- Social media monitoring
- Web filtering & time limits
- School device monitoring included
Parental Control
What is parental control?
Parental control software is software that is designed to protect minors from age-inappropriate content. Examples of types of website content that parental control software typically has the ability to block include pornography, websites containing violece, and websites promoting the sale of alcoholic beverages.
What does parental control software do?
Parental control software typically contains a number of functionalities.
At its most basic level, parental control products contain tools to block inappropriate website content. Typically this is category based. But most products also contain the ability to configure whitelists and blacklists. Whitelists are lists of websites that the administrator (parent) has deemed to be okay—a whitelisted website will not be blocked even if it is classified as belonging to a blocked category. Conversely, a blacklisted website will not be allowed to display even when the category is not blocked.
Additionally, most parental control tools contain functions to control or limit the amount of time children spend at the computer:
These functions commonly allow the administrator to restrict access to the internet to certain hours per day. For instance, a parent could set up the control settings so that the internet, or certain programs, will be prevented from running after 10pm—when children should be preparing for bed rather than sitting at the PC.
Many programs also allow users to set an upper limit on the number of hours per day during which the internet, certain programs, or the computer itself can be accessed. If the daily hour limit is exceeded the child will be prevented from being able to access the website in question.
What other features should I look out for?
App blocking: This allows the parent the ability to entirely block specific programs, irrespective of the time or day or usage volume.
Invisible installation: Many parental control tools can install themselves completely invisibly on the system. This can make it difficult for even tech-savvy teenagers to devise ways to remove the program and circumvent the filtering.
Our Top 3 Picks
- 1Complete cybersecurity toolkit
- Features - Full-featured protection
- Support - 24/7
- Guarantee - 60 days money-back
Complete cybersecurity toolkitRead Aura ReviewAura offers a suite of user-friendly cybersecurity tools, along with powerful parental control features that let you control every aspect of your child’s digital activity. It’s also an affordable option, and it continues to grow and release new updates regularly.
What’s more, Aura is very easy to use, and parental controls enable you to carefully manage your child’s digital activity. There’s also a 14-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee, and we’d suggest taking advantage of these by giving Aura a try.
Aura Pros & Cons
PROS
A full cybersecurity packageSuper easy to useDark Web monitoring includedCONS
Full virus scans are time-consumingNot all features are useful for everyone - 2Comprehensive monitoring of 30+ platforms
- Features - Monitors texts, emails, and 30+ social media platforms
- Support - Online help center, live chat
- Guarantee - No
Comprehensive monitoring of 30+ platformsRead bark Reviewbark is the optimal choice of a parental control app for parents that want a tool that will do more than simply make nice marketing claims. bark is a product that has been extensively tested and trusted by parents and schools to protect over 5.9 million kids—and it has an outstanding track record for alerting parents to potential acts of self-harm, online predation, and more.
bark Pros & Cons
PROS
Proven real world abilityWorks on both Apple and AndroidMonitors more than 30 appsCONS
Not for the desktopNo free tier - 3Comprehensive parental controls app
- Features - Viewing activity, blocking access, tracking GPS location
- Support - Help Center, email/ticket support, or live chat assistance
- Guarantee - None
Comprehensive parental controls appRead mSpy ReviewmSpy offers one of the most comprehensive parental control apps on the market. Depending on your child’s device, it lets you track activity on up to 13 messaging apps as well as calls, SMS messages, photos, videos, emails, and calendar appointments.
Furthermore, mSpy gives you the ability to proactively protect your children from harmful activity by blocking websites, viewing browsing history, and blocking potentially harmful Wi-Fi networks. You can also view your child’s GPS location at any time and block their phone if it falls into the wrong hands.
mSpy Pros & Cons
PROS
Works on virtually all Apple and Android devicesMonitors dozens of popular appsOperating since 2010CONS
No free tier, free trial or money-back guaranteeNo tracking of TikTok or YouTube