Top 10 Parental Control Applications

Young kids today not only use computers and smartphones to socialize but they have also become a necessity for their education. This is the reason that young children are likely to stay connected with their devices all the time. But the internet is not a safe place anymore and it can damage your child’s mental health at large. One great way to limit their device use and protect them from the dangers of the internet is to download parental control software.

 

Looking for popular parental control apps? If the answer is yes, then you are at the right place. In this blog, we have listed some of the most popular parental control software that you can use. Let’s get started!

There is no denying the fact that parenting is no less than a challenge! Children have become tech-savvy and this is one of the major reasons for parents to use parental control apps to block their access to inappropriate websites. The application can track and even allows the parents to block website access and limit the children's screen time. 

 

Several incredible parental control applications are available in the market, but they can be expensive. This is the reason that most internet service providers such as Windstream, Spectrum, MetroNet, and others offer secure internet services along with security suites with parental control features. You can also check with your ISP, but if you are looking for a list of reliable internet service providers offering secure internet connection, then you can click here. The website has a comprehensive list of trustworthy ISPs that offer secure internet connection and security suites to protect your devices from prevailing cyber threats. 

There are many benefits of using parental control apps and some of the quality apps that you can download to keep your kids safe are listed below. 

It is one of the most popular parental control app that you can download to set screen limits for individual apps that your child uses. Qustodio has been ranked as the best pick because it offers incredible parenting control features that help parents control the web activities of their children. The app can block websites, so your child does not access any inappropriate content.  

 

It has a “Family Locator” feature that shows where your children are. Qustodio also monitors your child’s social media site and offers detailed reports regarding their time spent. But this app is quite expensive so do check your budget before you download it. 

 

Compatible with: Android, iOS and windows 

Price: No free version of the app is available, so you have to pay $99.99/ year.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- The app is easy to use. 

- It filters web content on all the browsers

- It has a well-designed interface

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It is fairly expensive

- The iOS version does not limit video game playtime.

The Bark is considered the best social media monitoring application because it helps parents monitor their children’s social accounts. The app can monitor text, images, email, and so on. It also alerts the parents if it analyzes that the child can be in a problem.

 

This app offers two plans; Bark Jr, which is specifically designed to protect young children from the dark side of the internet and is fairly inexpensive. While Bark Premium is for children of all ages and allows the parents to monitor the child's activity on several social networks. For example, it can analyze the signs of cyberbullying and immediately notify the parents that the child might be in danger. With Bark, parents can even block contacts from their child’s phone and even block certain inappropriate games. 

 

Compatible with: iOS and Android devices

Price: For Bark Jr., users have to pay $5.99 per month, and Bark Premium is $14.99.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- It allows screen time monitoring 

- Supports multiple devices at once

- Two plans are offered for families 

- It offers screen time scheduling 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It does not block VPNs

- It is quite expensive

One major benefit of using this app is that it offers a complete suite of security services to offer complete protection against the dark web. Kaspersky Safe Kids offers web activity monitoring that excludes inappropriate content from appearing in search engines. It even allows the parents to create a list of sites and games you want their child to access. In addition, parents can set screen limits, so they can determine how many hours their child uses their device. With Kaspersky, parents can access their child’s location via GPS and be at peace. The major benefit of using this app is that it is not expensive, and you have to only pay $15 per year. 

 

Compatible with: iOS and Android devices

Price: It offers a 7-day free trial, and you have to pay $49.99/year.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- Its free trial is available. 

- It is affordable 

- It can monitor up to 500 devices 

 

Reasons to Avoid

- Its web portal is slow

- The mobile app has a poor interface

Net Nanny is another parenting control application that allows parents to track their child’s real-time activities. Parents can easily see what their children are doing online and alert them if they visit any inappropriate site. For instance, if your child visits any website related to drugs, suicide, or weapons, the application immediately sends a notification. There is a time limit feature as well that parents can use to limit the screen time of their children. It even screens social media apps and blocks inappropriate content from showing up on the feed. 

 

Net Nanny has a map that allows parents to check their child’s location anytime. Moreover, with its "Family Feed" feature, parents can even see which application their child has visited. 

 

Compatible with: iOS and Android devices

Price: It does not offer any free version, and you have to pay $59.99/year.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- It has a simple interface

- It offers the feature of location monitoring 

- The app has a detailed dashboard 

- Its geolocation feature is reliable  

 

Reasons to Avoid 

 

- It doesn’t offer call monitoring 

- The app doesn’t support message-monitoring 

- It is expensive 

Norton is famous for its excellent antivirus protection and offers great parental control features. This app lets parents monitor the websites their child visits and allows blocking access to certain sites. It even emails monthly and weekly reports of the children's internet activities.

 

Parents can also see what videos their child views and search for. In addition, it offers a “School Time” mode, so the child can only access topics that are related to work. With its Geo Location feature, parents can easily track the location of their children.  

 

Compatible with: Windows and Android devices

Price: It does not offer any free version; you have to pay $138/year.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

It offers incredible geofencing tools 

The app has an antivirus protection 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It doesn’t offer any free version 

- It has a limited compatibility 

- It doesn't work on Mac devices

It is another popular parenting control app that helps parents monitor the websites their children visit. With ESET, parents can block access to certain apps, so the children cannot use or download them. 

 

If you purchase its yearly subscription, you can unlock incredible features such as web filtering to restrict inappropriate content. And even unlock location tracking to check the location of your child. In addition, parents can even monitor all the children's internet activities and view the basic monthly report of their activities. 

 

Compatible with: Windows and Android devices only 

Price: It offers a free trial, but you have to pay $39.99/year to unlock all the features.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- It offers excellent parental control features 

- It filters web content on all the browsers. 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It is quite expensive.

- It doesn't support the iOS version 

It is a free app that parents can use to control the activities of their children. With Google Family  you can prohibit your child from downloading apps without your permission and limit the amount of time your child spends on their screens. Once you have installed it, the app can track your child's location, so parents are always aware of their child’s whereabouts. It is an incredible tool for parents looking for a free parental control app with few features. So, start using this app immediately to ensure your child's internet safety. It is compatible with both iOS and Android devices, so download it today. 

 

Compatible with: iOS and Android devices

Price: It is free to use.  

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- Its free trial is available. 

- It filters web content on all the browsers. 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It is quite expensive.

- The iOS version does not limit video game playtime.

This app does an amazing job of managing and scheduling the access of kids’ devices. It focuses on managing the screen time of the children. It does not have many features for Android devices as some of its features, such as app management and web filtering, are entirely for iOS devices. 

 

Its free version only supports one device at a time, monitors the child's devices, and does not let the parent control their child’s internet activities. So, you have to purchase its premium version if you want to control the web activities of your child. 

 

Compatible with: Android devices

Price: Its free trial is available, and to unlock the rest of the features, you have to pay $6.99/month. 

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- It has an intuitive design 

- It can block certain apps 

- The app has a VPN feature 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It doesn’t offer a text or call monitoring feature 

If you do not want to pay for a parental control application, we suggest you choose KidLogger because it is free. This app can track your child's location, block certain applications, monitor their web activities, and even record Skype chats. 

 

The app can collect all the data on the web dashboard, so you can easily monitor your child's web activity. This app can keep your child protected from explicit content and prevent them from purchasing apps without your permission. 

 

Compatible with: iOS, windows, and Android devices

Price: It is free to use 

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- Its free trial is available

- It offers useful features 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It works on iOS devices restricted to only GPS tracking

- It has not been updated recently so users can face technical glitches 

The app records the number of times your child picks up their devices and the length of time they have managed to go without doing so. This app is also  considered the best parental control app that you can use that helps you track how much time your children spend on their devices. If you choose its premium plan, then as a parent, you can track all the devices your child uses. This app is not expensive but doesn’t offer many features, so if you aim to limit your child's screen time, you should download RealizD immediately.

 

Compatible with: Windows and Android devices

Price: It offers a free trial version, but to use all the features, one has to pay $0.99- $6.99. 

 

Reasons to Purchase  

- It displays data clearly 

- Its web design is pleasing 

 

Reasons to Avoid 

- It supports the iOS version only

Parental control applications make your life easier and the parents monitor all the child's internet activities. We hope you are going to download one of the apps listed above and keep your children safe. By effectively managing screen time, filtering inappropriate content, and ensuring online safety, the applications offer complete peace of mind to parents. As technology continues to evolve, parental control applications are considered to be a significant tool for protecting children. Thus, if you download one of the apps listed above, then you can get the peace you truly deserve.