The Best Parental Control Apps for 2022
If you’re a parent, keep reading because we’ll share with you some of the top-ranking parental control apps for 2022. If you’re a teenager, no need to go any further because we’re not going to show you how to uninstall these safety apps from any of your devices. While digital devices and the internet have a lot of great things to offer, they also open up the potential for some real harm. When these devices are in the hands of mature adults, there’s not much need to worry, but when in the possession of unsuspecting kids or undiscerning teenagers, it is beneficial to monitor the choices they are making. Thankfully, there are a lot of parental control apps out there that can help ensure your child’s safety.
It goes without saying, but if you really want to keep your kids from the dangers of the internet, then you will need to be more tech-savvy than them. If you need their help to install the parental controls, it’s likely they’ll also have the know-how to uninstall it whenever they want to. While there are easy-to-use apps, such as Mobicip which makes things simpler for parents who may not be as tech-savvy , it is still best to try to get caught up to speed on how to use parental control apps as well as to research what potential threats exist to kids and teens who use the internet.
Don’t Just Go by Ranking, Figure Out What Your Family Needs
Ranking parental control apps is beneficial, but it all depends on what it is that you are interested in, as different apps have different specifications. Is it for young kids or teenagers? How tight are you wanting to monitor the devices? How much are you willing to spend? How many devices is the safety for? How easily can the security be bypassed? Based on these questions alone, you would need to come up with a variety of ranking criteria, and even then, the top of the list may still not have everything you want. Every app has its pros and cons, and so it will be up to you to make the decision as to what is best. Also, don’t forget you can choose more than one, as one app’s strength may be another one’s weakness.
Choosing a parental control app is more than just knowing the number of devices and how much it will cost. It involves figuring out what you’ll need to keep your family safe: Anti-virus, screen time, location and geofencing, web browsing and social media monitoring, or text and call monitoring? Safewise’s charts have breakdowns of their top ranking apps according to both their prices and their features, and Tom's Guide’s list also has a detailed features chart which makes comparing the apps much easier.
One thing to make sure before purchasing is how compatible the apps are with your devices. Some apps may have limited features on a Mac as opposed to an Android, or vice versa. So, before signing up for a certain app or downloading software, make sure it has what you want for the devices you have.
The Best Parental Control Apps
Here’s a look at some of the top ranking parental control apps for 2022:
VeryWellFamily.com and Tom’sGuide.com picked NetNanny for their best overall parental control app. While it may be a little more expensive than some of the others, its range of features make it worth it.
Comparitech and PC Mag both picked Qustodio for best all around protection, and it also made Tom’s Guide’s list for its wide multi-platform use.
Safewise.com chose Bark as their favorite, and VeryWellFamily.com ranked it as the best monitoring app. Bark was a top-notcher in a few of the lists and is worth a look, especially if you are wanting to keep an eye on your children’s social media activity.
While Norton Family may not have made the #1 spot on the lists we looked at, they were on quite a few lists due to their speciality of computer protection which they offer alongside their parental controls.
Boomerang was another top qualifier on a number of lists, and while it is limited in scope, its affordable price makes it worth it, especially if it is mainly for younger children.
In case the ones mentioned above aren’t quite what you’re looking for, here are a few honorable mentions that are also worth checking out: Canopy, Life360, OurPact, FamilyTime, Google Family Link, and ScreenTime.
Sources: Habas, Cathy. “The Best Parental Control Apps of 2022” Safewise.com. 17 January 2022 (visited 18 April 2022). https://www.safewise.com/resources/parental-control-filters-buyers-guide/ Wagenseil, Paul, and Sean Riley. “The best parental control apps for Android and iPhone 2022.” Tom’s Guide. 7 April 2022 (visited 18 April 2022)https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-parental-control-apps,review-2258.html Moore, Ben and Kim Key. “The Best Parental Control Apps for Your Phone in 2022.” PC Mag. Updated 29 March 2022 (visited 18 April 2022).https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-parental-control-apps-for-your-phone?test_uuid=06r4MYCu5PZzCkufjQSV3po&test_variant=a Morin, Amy. “Best Parental Control Apps” VeryWell Family. Updated 13 April 2022 (visited 18 April 2022). https://www.verywellfamily.com/best-parental-control-apps-4779963 “Best Parental Control Apps Based on In-Depth Reviews.” Consumer’s Advocate. Updated 10 April 2022 (visited 18 April 2022).https://www.consumersadvocate.org/parental-control-apps Stobing, Chris. “The Best Parental Control Software and Apps of 2022.” Comparitech.com (visited 18 April 2022).https://www.comparitech.com/parental-control/#Features_to_Look_For 