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.
Top 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.
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
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
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
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 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 and they may be just what you need. This smartphone software does have limitations, but for setting screen time restrictions and blocking inappropriate content, these free parental control apps are great options:
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
