Smartphones are little miracles. If your child has a smartphone, they have access to the information collected in the world and anything TikTok. Unfortunately, owning a smartphone means access to pornography, violent images, and other disturbing content that they are not mature enough to see. Another big risk: constantly disappearing into the world of the phone, much of which is designed to be addictive, and not participating enough in real life.
Thankfully, with the rise of these smartphones has come a number of parental control devices and apps that help you do everything from blocking problematic sites to setting weekly screen time limits. These six apps, in particular, are great tools for monitoring your kids’ usage and setting parameters on what they can see. It’s a must for parents who are worried that a smartphone might be stealing from their child.
The best parenting app in One: OurPact Parental Control and Kid Tracker
A perennial parent favorite, OurPact Parental Control and Kid Tracker are our best picks at the show if you want a little bit of everything. Control screen time limits, block apps, find, track, and block texts: This one does it all, and it does it all well. There’s even another app, OurPact Jr., that gives kids the information they need about their screen time allowances and schedules. (Free, $2, and $7 monthly plans)
Available at: Google Play
Best Parental Control App for New Gamer: Azoomee
Question: What should you do with a child who chews every toy placed in front of him? Answer: Yes. This curated app includes over 1,000 games, puzzles, and activities, all with some kind of educational component designed for kids ages 5 and up. Sometimes, the easiest way to keep an eye on a child is to rely on the digital environment you put them in. (The free version includes access to a small selection of content; premium is $6.50 monthly, $33 for six months, or $59 for a year)
Available at: Apple App Store and Google Play
The Best Parental Control App to Practice What It Preaches: Covenant Eyes
Covenant Eyes is an effective porn blocker that will make sure your kids don’t stumble upon inernet smut. Once installed it modifies the content of search engines (including how search engines are accessed by other sites) and YouTube. In case an access attempt is made, a report is sent to you. (Free)
Available at: Apple App Store and Google Play
Best Family Parental Control App for Android: Google Family Link
As parents, we want to trust our children with their devices, which is why Google Family Link is so important. For children under 13, the app controls apps on their devices, controls screen time, and establishes bedtimes, all while still allowing installed apps to be updated. Remember that, while you can monitor your child’s phone if it’s an iOS device, you can only lock it if they have an Android phone. (Free)
Available at: Apple App Store and Google Play
Best Parental Control App for Kids’ Bands: Kaspersky Safe Kids Family GPS
Of course, Kaspersky Safe Kids Family GPS offers some of the features you’d expect from a parental control app, such as customizable website blocking, safe search, remote control permission, app and device usage, and more. But it’s the premium service that sets it apart from its peers. Once paid, parents can go beyond checking their child’s current location. If your child leaves their designated “safe zone” you will receive an alert. You’ll also get alerts for suspicious activity and social media monitoring for new friends. Android users can also monitor their texts and calls. (Free; Premium is $12/year)
Available at: Apple App Store and Google Play
Best Parental Control App to Protect Multiple Devices: Mobicip Parental Controls
Mobicip includes computers, and Mobicip Parental Controls includes smartphones. In short, if your child uses anything short of a library book to research, this app tracks, filters, and protects it. Customize by age, set a time limit, filter YouTube, and, at the end of the day, get a report on activities. And since it’s cloud-based, kids can’t just switch from wifi to 4LTE to escape their safety net. ($40/year to protect five devices)
Available at: Apple App Store, Google Play, Google Chrome, Windows, macOS
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