Below I have compiled a list of the best Parental Control apps from the App Store so that you can choose the best one and not worry about your child's safety.
The main point of using Parental Control is not to prohibit the child from doing anything in the virtual space and beyond, but to protect him from unwanted information, to take care of his physical and mental health.
Each family sets its own boundary within which it is allowed to intervene in the lives of children and monitor them. After reading this article, you can only determine the most appropriate toolkit, and we leave the issue of ethics of such intervention outside the brackets.
RK programs are conventionally divided into the following types:
- Restrictive content;
- Tracking movements and notifying about them.
Below I have compiled a list of the best Parental Control apps from the App Store so that you can choose the best one and not worry about your child's safety.
TeenSafe
This application prohibits the use of the phone while its owner is driving. On the official website of the software developer, it is written that eleven drivers who were typing while driving die every day. And this is especially true for the younger generation.
TeenSafe, which translates as "teenager + security", is a service that automatically locks your smartphone if you are not standing still. An exception is calls, since the law does not prohibit the driver from answering and receiving calls if the motorist uses a hands-free headset.
The developers' concern for the younger generation is obvious, but this application has a very distant relationship to parental control, because minors in Russia are prohibited from driving a car on their own. True, you can monitor the speed of a moped or light motorcycle. This service is also useful for anyone who is concerned about their own security. Therefore, the application deserves the seventh place.
MobiStealth
The cost of a monthly license is $ 70, an annual license is $ 180. For this price, the developers of the program promise parents peace of mind for the life and safety of their children.
The software makes it possible to keep track of such things: what programs were installed and used, what social networks the user visited, where the children's phones are now. The main disadvantage of the application, which does not allow it to rise higher, is the high cost of the license.
Net nanny
You expect Network Nanny to be a great app, as happened to Nanny McPhee, the heroine of My Terrible Nanny, who was angry but then reformed. Emma Thompson played excellently, who wrote the script for this film.
However, in the case of Network Nanny, such a wonderful transformation did not happen. The application provides approximately the same capabilities as available in iOS RK. At the same time, when making the settings for its whitelists and standard filters, the developers clearly relied on American reality.
The only option that allowed the program to be in this top is GPS control. This function cannot be disabled on children's gadgets. The parent can monitor the movement of the child and what he did on the phone, how much time he actively used it, whether he has exhausted his daily limit. But the battery level of the gadget, alas, is impossible to see.
Normal functionality can only be obtained with the Family Protection Pass from this developer. For 5 gadgets, you will have to pay $ 55 dollars annually - a decent amount.
OurPact
This program could well have become an excellent option, but this is hindered by the solid cost of a monthly license ($ 7 for each device) and not very good consideration of Russian realities.
This tool allows you to apply almost all restrictive parental control options. In particular, it can be used to:
- Limit the duration of using the phone;
- Block adult content;
- Include an age rating system;
- Restrict or block access to the Network;
- Block harmful programs.
Also, the program allows you to track the location of the child, determine the geofence and set up signals that inform that a family member has left this zone. One of the rare functions is the ability to restrict SMS messages.
Qustodio
In terms of functionality, the application is almost an exact copy of the previous program. But the price is more attractive - $ 97 annually for ten gadgets.
FamilyTime
Annual license - $ 45 for three phones. The application has a very broad functionality and reasonable price. Among other things, there is an option similar to that already described in the TeenSafe program. That is, you can monitor the speed of movement of your offspring.
You should also mention the piggy bank of time. If a child, for example, is allowed to use the iPad 120 minutes a day, then the unused minutes will go to the future. The teenager can use the accumulated time, for example, to watch some long-awaited live broadcast on the Internet.
Find my kids
The program does not duplicate the options contained in the basic iOS configuration. You have the opportunity to track the whereabouts of a family member, receive a notification in case of violation of the geofence, send a "chant" - about the same as in the Harry Potter books, except a little less loud.
The main advantage of the application is cross-platform. It doesn't matter what kind of gadget your son or daughter has - an iPhone or an Android phone, the program will still allow you to control your beloved child. And the phone is not required - enough children's watches, with the help of which you can also organize "surveillance and wiretapping."
So, the application has incorporated every important parental control option. Accordingly, you can:
- Track the GPS position of a family member on the map;
- Have support for Location-based service, i.e. determine the location not only by the satellite system, but also in relation to the base stations of the networks of mobile providers and Wi-Fi points;
- Receive an alert about violation of the geofence limit when a child crosses the border of a school, kindergarten, section, etc.;
- Exchange SMS and voice mail;
- Listen to the surrounding space in suspicious situations;
- Give the child awards and encouragements;
- Track from several different devices.
As for applications and the Internet, they have not been forgotten either. There is a module where parents have the opportunity to get acquainted with the statistics of children's requests and with the time of use of each specific service.
In addition, the mobile application is easy to install and add your loved ones to it. And there is also technical support. You can chat with the support both on the iPhone, and on the computer, and from your account on the program's website. In general, deserved first place in the field of Parental Control.
Conclusion
Not every product created in Silicon Valley is suitable for a Russian user. Apple has built tools into its gadgets that allow you to limit the duration of daily use of the device and filter traffic, so it makes no sense to pay for these functions separately.