Apple's built-in and free solution is account-based, meaning that it keeps track of data across all of a child's Apple devices. Apple already included a good range of app-blocking and web-filtering options within the Restrictions section of its main settings app. Microsoft Family Safety and Google Family Link also offer first-party parental management solutions, which we cover in more detail in our guide on how to manage kids' screen time. We also have a feature on how to manage parental control settings on every game console.
The hallmark feature of any parental control app is its ability to prevent kids from accessing inappropriate or dangerous websites.
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Many apps bundle a proprietary browser that makes it easier for the services to manage, track, and control browsing activity. This makes more sense than trying to reverse engineer support for every conceivable mobile browser. As such, most of these apps instruct you to block every other browser or restrict your child from installing any other apps at all.
Some parental control utilities don't force your child to use a proprietary browser.
Important notice
Rather, they leverage VPN technology, running internet connections through a local app to enable content filtering. You'll see the VPN icon when such a utility is active.
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The presence of this icon doesn't mean the child's connection is secured by a full-scale virtual private network, nor that the device's IP address is masked. Most of these browsers operate similarly in that they block access to websites that fall under banned categories, including all the biggest offenders, such as file sharing, gambling, pornography, and violence. The best examples have no trouble picking up on HTTPS -encrypted traffic and blocking access to anonymizing proxies.
Some apps, such as Net Nanny, let you create custom web-filtering categories, and the vast majority let you add specific rules for custom domains. Others can lock Safe Search settings and block profanity. The quality of web history reporting also varies from service to service.
One area in which most mobile parental control solutions excel is in their ability to prevent children from using certain apps. This can come in handy for parents looking to prevent their kids from using social media apps, messaging services that are difficult to monitor, or browsers that get around the defined web filters.
Still, it can be difficult to keep track of every new app that your child installs. Better yet are those services, such as Boomerang, that automatically block new apps your child installs until you explicitly approve them. Mobicip gives you the option to whitelist only the apps you want your child to be able to use.
App blocking works differently on iOS. You can block access to system apps such as Safari, Camera, and Siri, if you wish.
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You can also disable the iTunes Store and App Store and ban in-app purchases. Some parental control apps can ever remove app icons completely from the home screen, so there's no chance your kid can access them. One thing you won't be able to do with most parental control apps is monitor calls or SMS, MMS, and encrypted messages. You can block secure messaging apps , but Boomerang and Qustodio are the only options we tested that allow you to monitor SMS messages and call data. This capability is only for Android devices and is not built-in to the app versions on the Google Play store; instead, you have to sideload a custom version of the app.
Time restrictions are another major feature of parental control apps. Some services, like Norton Family Premier and FamilyTime, let you specify how many total hours or minutes a day your child can spend on any given device as well as a schedule for when they can use it.
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Qustodio lets you set up schedules for specific apps and device usage, as well as specifying a total time allotment for your child that applies across every piece of hardware they use to access the internet. A mobile parental control app should at the very least be able to keep track of a child's current location and some historical location data, too.
It's also important for them to offer some level of control over notifications and the frequency of location reporting, to avoid bombarding the parent with useless data. Both Qustodio and Norton Family offer these features. Some services, including Locategy, Boomerang, and FamilyTime, go one step further, letting you construct geofences around a location.
For the uninitiated, geofences are digital boundaries around a physical location that help parents keep track of when a child arrives at or leaves a given location. Kaspersky Safe Kids even lets you add a dimension of time to a geofence, so you can easily make sure a child stays where they are supposed to be throughout the day. Boomerang offers a unique feature that lets you draw custom geofences on a map; other apps just create a circular radius around a point you define. Android and iOS themselves also let you track your kid's location.
Although the range of features that parental control software supports is impressive, no system is perfect. If your children want to get around the limitations you impose, they will likely be able to do so either by using unmonitored devices or finding ways to wipe their devices clean of the controlling apps. Thus, it's worthwhile to take the time to talk with your child about why you have installed monitoring software in the first place. After all, digital safety and security are worthwhile topics for everyone.
It's better to approach these conversations honestly, rather than have them find out on their own and stop trusting you. Especially for older children, it's also important to listen to your child's specific privacy concerns, rather than just setting rules and restrictions that may otherwise be seen as arbitrary.
He was present at the formation of the Association of Shareware Professionals, and served on its board of directors.
By , he had become PC Magazine's technical editor, and a coast-to-coast telecommuter. His "User to User" column supplied readers with tips and solutions on using DOS and Windows, his technical columns clarified fine points in programming and operating systems, and his utility articles over forty of them provided both useful programs and examples of programming in Pascal, Visual Basic, and Delphi.
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The Best Parental Control Apps for Your Phone in | PCMag
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Learn more. Updated January 15, Copy Link. Our 8 Top Picks. Best for All-Around Protection. Parental control app Qustodio is a highly configurable, easy-to-manage tool for keeping track of your child's activity on Windows, macOS, Chromebook, iOS, and Android devices, though it comes at a premium price.
Pros Well-designed web interface. Cons Expensive. Best for Large Families. Kaspersky Safe Kids is a full-featured, affordable parental monitoring system for desktop and mobile platforms that doesn't impose limits on the number of devices you can monitor. Pros Affordable. Cons Several iOS limitations. Best for Easy Setup. As soon as the payment is confirmed, you will get an email with your login and password. You will need to follow the link provided to you in the email and log in to your account using your computer or smartphone. Once you log in, you will be guided through the installation process in order to set up monitoring.
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One subscription plan covers one device only. You will need to purchase two subscriptions if you want to monitor two or more devices. However, the installation takes only up to 10 minutes, and you will receive an easy step-by-step guide after the purchase. Furthermore, you can contact our tech support via chat at any time, and they will help you out with any issues that might arise. You might need to have physical access to the device for a few minutes to enable the iCloud backup and get the verification code.
The process should not take longer than 5 minutes. Visit our help desk for a detailed guide on how to uninstall mSpy from the phone.