Importance of Parental Control Apps in the age of internet
This article will explain why parents should use parental control apps to make sure their children are safe online. A safe environment on the internet for our kids is a necessity nowadays when kids have access to unlimited wireless internet.
This is because a large part of the world is now online, and it is inevitable that your children will be too. If you are a parent of a child or a teenager, should you use a parental control software or app? If you don’t, your child or teen expose to the increasing online risks that are all too common today.
This article aims to give you some incentives that would make any responsible parent provide them with a try. Parental control apps should view positively. After all, a child has their entire adult life to explore the internet without limits. At their cognitive-developmental stage, children, especially those under 12, need some level of supervision.
There is no reason why this should not apply to their online activities. The mechanisms of parental control are as varied as their application. They range from controls installed in browsers like Internet Explorer to specialized software. They all allow parents to monitor or regulate the online time and the content visited.
What are parental control apps, and how do they work?
Parental control apps are a must-have for parents’ peace of mind. They are third-party applications installed on the compatible device such as smartphones and tablets. In most cases, you need to install them on your device and the device you want to monitor.
For many apps, no jailbreaking or rooting is required. Once the app is installed, you can start watching your child’s phone, such as calls, text messages, social media activity, location, and emails.
The best parental control apps are crucial for protecting your loved ones. Although this technically means spying on your child’s whereabouts, it is a justifiable act. It’s not unethical at all because your primary concern is to protect your child. For example, you will learn if your child talks to possible offenders or visits websites that are not age-appropriate.
Best Parental Control Apps
Qustodio
We chose Qustodio over some other apps. Because it offers a variety of monitoring tools that work with a range of browsers and operating systems. Although the free option is minimal and only allows monitoring one profile and one device, the premium plans make this app stand out.
Installing Qustodio is simple: parents need to install the app on their phone or open an account on a computer and then install it on the child’s device. During the installation process, you can select what content should be blocked and accessed from a list of categories.
Parents can also customize the app to their concerns and requirements. Qustodio also lets you block specific apps and games that you don’t want your child to access, as well as prevent contacts from calling or texting your child’s phone.
Life360
Although many of the apps we tested have location tracking features, we chose Life360 because tracking is the app’s essence and its primary focus. It can provide geolocation information in 140 countries and on all seven continents. Setting up Life360 is simple.
Set up an account, get an invitation code, have your child download the app to their phone, enter the code, and you’re all set. You can select fixed locations your child might travel to, such as school, the library, or a friend’s house, and see in real-time when they arrive at that location and when they leave.
Life360 works on iOS and Android. A free plan offers all location tracking, battery monitoring, and in-app chat features. The Plus plan costs $2.99 per month and adds Crime Reports to the tracking features, letting you know about reported crimes in specific areas.
The Driver Protect plan for $7.99 per month includes all driver monitoring, roadside assistance, accident detection, and emergency assistance features.
