Top Parental Control Apps To Keep Kids Safe Online

Keeping children safe online, especially in the age of social media, is more difficult than ever before.

This has been a particularly current topic in recent weeks, as Netflix’s Adolescence has shed light on the dangers of exposing young people to extremist ideas.

And it’s a big problem to solve. According to the Youth Sports Trust, 99% of 16-to-25-year-olds in the UK use social media every day. And although Children aged 12 and under are below the age limit for opening a social media account, research has found that 75% of them have one.

But it’s not just ideas that pose a danger online. Social media can also be a tool for grooming, identity fraud and theft – making it an important space for parents to safeguard.

It’s no surprise then, that so many tools now exist to help keep children safe online.

How Do Apps Keep Children Safe Online?

There are a number of different ways that apps keep children safe online. Some of these include:

Monitoring and supervising: Alerting parents to any apps installed, allowing them to monitor how often their kids are online, what apps they use and reporting any suspicious activity.

Location tracking: The ability to alert parents when their children enter or leave specific areas.

Content blocking: Ability to block certain websites and content. This can help protect them from dangerous ideas or inappropriate content online.

So what apps exist to help, let’s take a look…

Qustodio

Qustodio is arguably one of the best-known parental control apps. The app allows parents to easily monitor their child’s activity on all devices, no matter where they are.

It works by allowing parents to choose which apps children can download and select any to block. Then, the app sends parents AI-powered alerts and reports around key activity. This not only allows parents to protect their children online, but provides peace of mind whilst navigating the world of social media.

FamilyTime

FamilyTime is another parental control app that allows parents to impose screen time restrictions, block apps and content and set daily usage limits.

With the ability to control, monitor and location track children all from one place, FamilyTime provides everything parents need to keep their children safe online in one place.

NetNanny

Net Nanny is another parental control and web filtering software, designed to help parents monitor and control children’s computer and phone activity.

The app has 3 main uses, including:

• Monitoring digital habits and protecting children from harmful content.
• Managing screen time with restrictions.
• Content filtering to keep browsing safe in real-time.

Bark

Bark allows parents to scans their child’s text messages, 30+ social media apps, web browsers, emails, and other online activity, keeping them informed and their child protected.

Through the app, bark also provides AI safety alerts, so parents can be notified of any suspicious activity, even if they aren’t monitoring in real-time.

Mobicip

Mobicip works by allowing parents to limit screen time, filter internet content, monitor social media, track location and more. Through limiting screen time, blocking harmful content and monitoring for suspicious activity, the app helps parents provide a strong level of protection.

Not just good for harmful content, Mobicip also allows parents to limit screen time so kids can build healthy online habits.

Life360

Life360 is a location sharing app, allowing parents to see exactly where their kids are at any time.

Not just for location, the app also has crash detection and GPS monitoring, alerting family members to any strange movements.

Clean Router

CleanRouter allows parents to manage all of the devices in the house, blocking harmful content and websites.

By allowing parents to impose time restrictions on children’s individual devices as well as blocking certain websites, the app allows them to customise each device to provide the level of protection needed.