Kids today have the whole world in their pockets—from social media and entertainment platforms to browsers with everything they’d ever need to know and more. They can do schoolwork, connect with friends and like-minded communities, and find new outlets for creativity—but as we all know, their smartphones and tablets are double-edged swords. Without proper parental guidance, kids can stumble on inappropriate, offensive, and downright scary content, not to mention tricky people of all types.
So what can we do? How do we as parents not only help our kids learn healthy media and tech usage but also protect them from potentially harmful content?
According to Catherine Teitelbaum, Head of Family Trust at Amazon, and a former educator, industry veteran, and recognized pioneer in online safety, a parent’s first step is communication. “My advice is to start having conversations about technology use and internet safety early. Parents and guardians can help kids learn to set up healthy digital habits for life. Think about working together to establish family ground rules. When is technology use allowed? What do kids need to ask permission for? Then establish checkpoints for those conversations, like heading into summer or the beginning of the school year, so you can update those ground rules as your kids grow,” she says.
So, yes, we should monitor what they watch, talk to them about screen time, and ensure they don’t have certain apps, but guess what? Kids today are tech-savvy in a way most of us can’t imagine, and there may come a time when you need a little extra help.
If you’re looking for additional parental control services beyond built-in device settings, Teitelbaum stresses that it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. “It’s important to keep in mind that all children are unique, and safety is personal. Parents know their children best and are the most informed to make decisions tailored to their kids. When it comes to parental controls, look for the ability to customize based on your family’s needs and each unique child,” she says.
Below, we break down some of the most popular and best parental control apps, including those free or built-in device options.
The Best Subscription-Based Parental Control Apps
Bark
Bark has features like managing screen time and web and app blockers; it monitors text, social media, apps, saved video, and photos; and it’s extremely customizable. You can choose different times of day to block apps: school time, free time, bedtime, etc., and create exceptions like allowing no streaming except for sites you approve.
You can also set up alerts for things like depression, self-harm, profanity, and nudity, and the AI technology will not only scan internet use for those topics but also identify the context in which phrases and slang are being used. If it senses a pattern, you’ll get an alert. It also has a 24/7 GPS monitoring feature; you can check your child’s location anytime.
What makes it different? Bark’s specialty is social media: it monitors almost 40 apps and websites. Plus, they have a special smartphone—the Bark Phone—for kids and teens with all of Bark’s features built right in.
What else should you know? Bark can’t send instant alerts to parents, and it’s easier than other apps for kids to delete.
Compatible with: iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, laptops, and computers, but purchasing separate systems for smartphones and computers is required
Cost: Bark Home ($6/mo), Bark App ($14/mo), Bark Phone ($39)
Find out more: bark.us
Family Time
This is another popular parenting control app and safety program for families. Along with being able to set screen time and individual app usage limits, it has different modes: bedtime, homework, dinnertime, and fun time.
You can approve apps and games from your phone, it has web, app, and game-blocking capabilities, monitors texts and calls, and has content filters. It also has features similar to Life360: a TeenSafe drive tool lets you know when your kid is speeding, you can get “Pick-me-up” requests in real-time, and there’s an SOS panic button for emergencies.
What makes it different? You can get alerts when someone on your watch list contacts your child, the TimeBank feature allows your kid to earn extra screen time, and the family pause feature locks their phone immediately.
What else should you know? Family Time does not monitor emails and has limited social media monitoring capabilities.
Compatible with: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Kindle Fire
Cost: $2.41/mo for one device, $4.08/mo for three devices, $5.75 for five devices
Find out more: familytime.io
Net Nanny
Net Nanny was one of the first parental control programs available. It has basic features like website blockers, screen time management, an internet filter, and weekly usage reports. It can also block certain apps and alert you when your child attempts to download a new app. It uses real-time analysis to detect issues on websites your child is trying to access and has a profanity filter that will block out inappropriate words in text your child is trying to read.
What makes it different? It has one of the best YouTube monitoring systems out there, and, unlike other parental control safety programs, its real-time pornographic content scanning checks comments and ads for potentially harmful content.
What else should you know? It doesn’t monitor phone calls or texts, does not block unknown phone numbers, and has limited social media monitoring.
Compatible with: Windows, Mac, and iOS, with compatibility for Android, Chromebook, and Kindle Fire pending a new update in 2024
Cost: $49.99/year for one desktop or laptop, $79.99/year for five devices, $129/year for 20 devices
Find out more: netnanny.com
Qustodio
Qustidio also blocks apps, websites, and games and offers features like content and app filtering, screen time limits, app download alerts, YouTube monitoring, text and phone call monitoring, and contact blocking. It has a panic button option, location alerts, and a customizable apps and content routine you can set up for each kid. It also has a “pause internet” function. It’s easy to install and gives parents a real-time dashboard, and detailed activity and browser history reports.
What makes it different? It has some of the best web and app filter functions and is compatible with multiple devices, including Chromebook and Kindle.
What else should you know? It does not have social media monitoring and is easily bypassed by VPN evasion.
Compatible with: Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook, and Kindle
Cost: $54.95/year for the basic plan, $99.95/year for the complete plan
Find out more: qustodio.com
Aura
While Aura is better known as one of the best programs for preventing identity theft, it recently launched a parental control program in partnership with Circle. It has all the features of a standard safety program including app and web restrictions and blockers, screen time limits, phone pause options, a virtual private network, and customizable filtering. It offers basic social media monitoring for Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, and offers an identity theft service for kids: parents will be alerted if their child’s social security number or online accounts have been detected on the dark web.
What makes it different? Besides the identity theft features, it also has an online gaming safety feature that offers 24/7 in-game voice and text monitoring for over 200 PC games to help combat cyberbullying.
What else should you know? Kids can easily delete the app from their phones, and the content monitoring isn’t as in-depth as other services as it only filters content based on age, not necessarily harmful content itself. It also doesn’t have geo-tracking options, and the setup can be challenging.
Compatible with: Android, Chromebook, and iOS
Cost: Kids ($10/mo), Couple ($22/mo), Family ($32/mo)
Find out more: aura.com/parental-controls
Related: What to Do When Your Kid Wants a Social Media Account
Free or Built-In Parental Control Programs
Family Link by Google
This parental control app is from Google, and one of the best things about it is that it’s free. You can set screen time limits, it blocks and filters web and app searches, and the web filter includes SafeSearch, which blocks explicit content from Chrome browser searches. You can supervise your child’s YouTube usage and get activity reports that include a breakdown of screen time, apps used, installs, and more.
What makes it different? You can approve or deny purchases and restrict downloads in the Google Play Store.
What else should you know? Family Link can’t monitor social media sites, and if your child is 13 or older, they can turn off the safety features.
Compatible with: Android and iOS (although it must be iOS 11 or higher)
Cost: Free
Find out more: families.google/familylink
Amazon – Parent Dashboard
If you use a Fire tablet, Echo, Kindle, or Fire TV, you can manage the type of content your child can access by adjusting age and daily time limit settings. You can view usage history with the parental control app and use the “Learn First” feature to set up educational goals for kids (like reading or watching something educational) to meet before they can access shows and games. The Amazon Parent Dashboard can manage content for up to four kids, and it’s free, even if you don’t have a Prime account.
What makes it different? You can set up your Echo device to recognize your child’s voice and it’ll block explicit music, disable the shopping option, and offer age-appropriate information and content. Plus, if you have an AmazonKids+ account, you can use the dashboard on other devices.
What else should you know? The age filters don’t work with outside apps.
Compatible with: Amazon Devices and iOS if you have an AmazonKids+ account
Cost: Free
Find out more: amazon.com/parentdashboard
Apple Screen Time
Apple’s built-in parental control system can be used with iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs. It allows you to restrict Apple store purchases and Siri web searches and prevents explicit or age-inappropriate content like music, podcasts, TV shows, and more. It also automatically filters web content to limit access to adult content in Safari. You can add specific websites to a blocked or approved list, restrict game center options like private messaging, add friends, and screen recording, and prevent the ability to play multi-player games.
What makes it different? These parental controls are built into Apple devices, so it doesn’t require you to download an additional app to make it work.
What else should you know? Kids can bypass web restrictions using a third-party browser app unless you restrict access to the Apple store. Also, kids over 13 can have their own Apple ID, so you might not be able to use these features effectively.
Compatible with: iOS, Mac
Cost: Free
Find out more: support.apple.com
When you’re considering the safety of your kids online, there’s no better time to download the Tinybeans app. The secure platform allows you to share special moments with friends and family near and far and puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their littles.
