Parental control tools such as the Bark app can help protect young children, tweens and teens while they browse the web and play online games. The internet improves lives in many ways, but using the web irresponsibly can leave users susceptible to scams and open devices to viruses.
These solutions allow parents to give their kids the independence they desire without losing sight of their online activities. The Bark app for parents is a popular choice, but there are many software options with reporting and supervisory functions to let parents set screen time limits and restrict access to applications and websites, so that new users build safe online habits.
How Can Parents Monitor Kids’ Devices?
Parents can install a parental control app onto kids’ devices to monitor their activity remotely from a smartphone app or the web. Some applications provide real-time updates and others offer reports to review browsing and messaging history.
How Can a Parent Check All of a Child’s Phone Activity?
To see everything on a child’s phone, including text messages, phone conversations and online activity, a parent will need to select a parental control app that offers in-depth monitoring beyond basic screen time limits and website restrictions. These applications are often expensive and some can be disabled by tech-savvy teens.
What Is the Best App for Parental Control?
Bark is often regarded as the best parental control app available because its features include all of the basic time-management functions plus message monitoring without a hefty price tag. The Bark app for parents is available in two levels so subscribers can balance their needs and budgets.
Many of these parental control solutions offer similar features for blocking websites, managing apps and setting screen time limits, so users should shop around to find the best parental control app for their family.
Top 5 Parental Control App Subscriptions
When it is time to research parental control apps, the laundry list of options can be intimidating for some. The best parental control app for one family might not be the right choice for another. Each tool offers different features for young kids, new drivers, teens or homes with a mix of user ages.
The top parental control app options for parents are outlined below to help families choose the right level of surveillance, safety and support.
1. Bark App
The Bark app for parents offers advanced content monitoring on kids’ texts, emails, apps and social media platforms. This tool scans device apps and browser history and alerts parents to problematic content.
- Top Features: Monitors texts, emails, apps, social platforms, saved photos and video and web searches; offers screen time management and location tracking
- Cons: Reviewing all activity and time spent on specific apps is limited
- Compatible Devices: Android, iOS, Chromebook, Amazon Fire, Windows and MacOS
2. Qustodio
This parental control app offers robust features to supervise kids’ devices and online activities, including screen time. Qustodio is ideal for kids not yet exploring social media and it is also ideal for older children who display responsible online habits.
- Top Features: Activity timelines, monitoring for games, apps, calls and messages, website blocking and geofencing location monitoring
- Cons: Expensive and does not supervise social media activities
- Compatible Devices: Android, iOS, Chromebook, Kindle, Windows and MacOS
3. Aura
The parental control app Aura is an all-in-one package for households wanting device security plus online activity management. Families with young children or online gamers appreciate the features of Aura’s parental control app that provides cyberbullying and predator alerts plus content filtering.
- Top Features: Activity reports, internet usage tracking, mobile device management, content filtering and blocking, and in-game voice and text monitoring
- Cons: Expensive pricing includes online and device security, antivirus protection and financial fraud protection that may be unwanted by some users
- Compatible Devices: Android and iOS devices; gaming monitoring for Windows PC
4. FamiSafe
For anyone looking for a parental control app offered at a good value, FamiSafe software features cover most households’ basic needs at a relatively low cost. This app is ideal for families with new drivers and older children who do not need deep web content filtering.
- Top Features: Driving reports, app blocking and scheduling, screen time limits, web content filtering and location sharing and history
- Cons: Limited web filtering and no call or text monitoring
- Compatible Devices: Android, iOS, Chromebook, Kindle Fire, Windows and MacOS
5. Mobicip
Mobicip parental control app blocks harmful content and manages activity schedules for screen time and applications. Families with younger children appreciate the dual dashboards, which allow kids to review their online usage to learn self-regulation. The app’s social media monitoring and conversation surveillance provide extra peace of mind for parents of older children.
- Top Features: Internet filters and app blockers, screen time and app limits and schedules, social media monitoring and location tracking
- Cons: Must upgrade to the premium version for feature-rich parental controls
- Compatible Devices: Android, iOS, Chromebook, Kindle Fire, Windows and MacOS
The 3 Best Free Parental Control Apps
Parents of teen smartphone users can take advantage of built-in applications to monitor their activity and locations. Many agree the best parental control apps for iPhone and Android users are the free parental control apps from the manufacturers because these are similar to the Bark app but without a subscription. This smartphone software does have limitations, but for setting screen time restrictions and blocking inappropriate content, these free parental control apps are great options:
1. Apple Screen Time
It may be surprising to some that the best parental control app for iPhone users is the free software available in the Apple store. Screen Time’s reporting shows how devices are used, which apps are opened and which websites kids have visited. Privacy restrictions block parents from seeing messages through this application, but adults can set kids’ allowed contacts or conversation times. Website blocking and location tracking are also available, though children must allow location sharing.
2. Google Family Link
This Android parental control app is free and offers many valuable features for parents of younger children. The app allows parents to set daily phone use limits, schedule phone hours, block inappropriate applications and track device locations. Once users turn 13 years old, they can opt out of monitoring and turn off location-sharing, so parents may need to find a more robust Android parental control app for teens.
3. Microsoft Family Safety
Kids who game online using consoles or PCs often go unmonitored, but parents can fix this with Microsoft Family Safety, which offers parental controls for Xbox, Windows and Android devices. The app can add content filters to devices running Microsoft Edge browsers to limit browsing and steer children toward kid-friendly websites.
Comparing Parental Control Apps and Tools
Many software options allow parents to monitor their kids’ online habits, browsing history and physical locations. When comparing parental control apps, adults should consider their kids’ ages and maturity levels to determine which features are necessary. From there, parents can look for an application with the needed features and that fits within the household budget.
For some, a free app with basic parental controls provides enough peace of mind, but for others who must keep a closer eye on kids as they learn to handle new independence online, a more robust software may be best.
What Is Better, Bark or Life360?
Bark is a better parental control app than Life360 because it allows parents to monitor kids’ online activities, text messages and locations, while Life360 specializes only in location tracking and vehicle crash detection.
Is Aura or Bark Better?
Bark is one of the best parental control apps for monitoring kids’ activity, including social media, text messages and emails, but Aura surpasses Bark for household protection because it offers dark web monitoring, data breach alerts and identity theft protection.
Is There a Better App Than Family Link?
For kids under the age of 13, Family Link is one of the best parental control apps available, especially since it is free. For monitoring kids older than 13, paid services like Bark or Qustodio offer more functionality, and for new drivers, FamiSafe features driving reports along with parental controls.
The Best Household Parental Control Tools
Parents who are hesitant to pay for and manage another subscription service among a long list they already pay for might find the parental control app offered as a Premium Wi-Fi add-on to be a convenient and comprehensive solution. This technology provides parental control functionality similar to the Bark app, keeping kids safe online and restricting screen time usage by person or device. This content filtering works on any Wi-Fi-enabled device, from gaming systems to smart TVs and smartphones.
FTC offers Basic and Enhanced Parental Controls so parents can find the right fit for their household. Basic Parental Controls allow adults to set up user profiles and enable and disable devices by defined schedules with just a few clicks. This is ideal for adults who want to manage bedtimes or family time and help enforce screen-time limits.
The EnhancedIQ Parental Controls allow more advanced monitoring features to:
- Create profiles for parental control by users or ages
- Pause and schedule internet access times
- Set screen time limits for certain applications
- Receive alerts on device usage for monitored profiles
- Restrict access to specific applications and websites
FTC’s Premium Wi-Fi parental control app offers practical tools to keep the entire household safe online. When parents bundle security and safety upgrades, they can enjoy an excellent internet package with features to put everyone at ease.
