Parental control apps have become a necessity for parents with young children because of the inappropriate content on the internet. Ever since computers and smartphones became widely owned, lots of information and data started flowing in. Since no one is monitoring this data, some of it is inappropriate for young children and as a parent, you’ll want to block this data. This need made software developers create a new kind of app. Parental control apps help parents set limits on their children’s phones in different aspects. Let’s see what the common features among the best parental control apps are.
What are Parental Control Apps?
Parental control apps are third-party apps that offer more features compared to phones’ built-in settings. These apps help parents set parental controls on their children’s devices to keep them from coming across inappropriate content. Being exposed to inappropriate content at a young age can damage their mental health in the long run. Aggression, ADHD, and depression are common side effects of exposure to dopamine induced by exposure to age-inappropriate material, such as pornography. To prevent these effects, you need to control your child’s screen time, limit the apps they can use, and block websites.
Some parents criticize the use of parental control apps and that using them can be considered a breach of the child’s privacy. Although this criticism sounds reasonable, it is not backed by statistics. The apps that breach privacy are called Spyware apps and using them is illegal in most countries, especially Canada. There are key differences between spyware apps and parental control apps. Spyware apps grant the user more access to the device they’re installed on. Using spyware apps, you can listen in on calls and even take screenshots without the other person’s knowledge. Parental control apps differ from spyware apps in that you can’t get any information not needed for the app to function off your child’s phone. By doing a bit of research, you can see which parental control apps Google Play Store or the App Store have deemed safe to install.
There are features that are common across most parental control apps. The best parental control apps have all those features and more. The most common features you can look for are live location, app blocker, and URL blocking. Let’s see what features a good parental control app should have.
Common Features in Parental Control Apps
Live Location: This feature can have different names on different applications but its usage is that it allows parents to see the exact location of their children. The Live Location feature uses your child’s phone’s GPS to give you their location in real-time. This feature is beneficial for parents who are worried about the whereabouts of their children. Being able to see your child’s location at all times will give you peace of mind and your child will stay safe.
App Blocker: This feature can be seen on almost every parental control app in the market and is highly effective for blocking harmful apps. If your child uses apps such as YouTube which have inappropriate content, this feature will help you put a password on the app or completely block it. Depending on the parental control app you choose to install, your security options can range from a 4-digit passcode to fingerprint or face ID.
Screen Time: The Screen Time feature’s usage can vary among parental control apps, but the general purpose is to report children’s app usage to parents. Some apps give you detailed reports of how much is spent on each specific app. You can even set screen time restrictions on apps that will stop your child from overusing the apps. This feature is also known as Screen Time Profile in some apps.
URL Blocking: This feature allows you to block your child’s access to any website you think is inappropriate for your child. Most parental control apps let you add website URLs to the blocked list. There are certain parental control apps that also allow categorical URL blocking, which means you can select which content category you want to block on their browser.
Emergency (SOS) Messaging: This feature allows kids to send emergency text messages to their parents when they feel unsafe. At some point, every kid has been in a situation where they’ve felt like their parents should’ve been there. This is where SOS Messaging comes in handy. Some apps allow kids to add five-second voice messages to the SOS message.
Web Activity: This feature offers detailed reports of your child’s activity on the web and tells you which websites they’ve visited. Although this feature’s usage can vary from app to app, the most basic usage of it is giving you reports of your child’s internet usage. You can also expect some apps to tell you how much was spent on each specific URL and how many times the URL was visited.
These features are found in popular parental control apps such as Bark, Qustodio, FamiSafe, and Safes. Although all these apps have the features above, they also have features that are specific to them. Although exploring each app individually would be ideal, we’re going to focus on the Safes parental control app so as to keep the article readable and short. Let’s see what Safes offers and how it can help you set parental controls on your child’s device.
Safes Parental Control App
The Safes app makes setting parental controls on children’s devices easy and fun. This app has several features, including Web Activity, URL Blocking, Screen Time, and more. Unlike most parental control apps, Safes offers the Geofence feature. Here’s how Geofence works.
The Geofence feature allows you to set green zones around your home or around your child’s school. Once your child enters the green zones, your selected parental controls will be automatically applied to your child’s device. This feature makes the process of setting parental controls much easier. If your child drives a car, then the Driving Report of Safes will also be beneficial for you. Driving Report gives you detailed information on your child’s driving habits, such as the number of times they’ve been out of town. You will also know if they’ve oversped. As a whole, Safes is one of your best options when deciding on a parental control application.
Concluding: How to Find the Best Parental Control App
There are numerous parental control apps you can download and use but there are some key features you have to look out for before downloading an app. These key features include Live Location, Screen Time, App Blocker, URL Blocking, SOS Messages, and Web Activity. These features are essential to every parental control app, but top-tier applications offer much more. Parental control apps such as Safes offer additional features such as Driving Report and Geofence. Almost all top-tier parental control apps have their own exclusive feature. Make sure that when you’re deciding on an app, you see what exclusive features are offered. Keep in mind that you should always research thoroughly before downloading or purchasing a parental control app.
FAQ
What is the difference between parental control apps and spyware apps?
The key difference between them is the control they have over the device they’re installed on. Spyware apps have permissions such as recording your screen without you knowing or listening in on your calls, which is a privacy breach. Parental control apps do not require odd permissions that breach the user’s privacy. The parental control app’s icon can be seen in the menu, unlike spyware apps, and the permissions can be revoked in system settings at any time.
Why do I need parental control apps?
Since there are a lot of age-inappropriate apps on the internet, you should use parental control apps to set restrictions on the content your child is exposed to.
