(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)
Loading... Windows is one of the most popular computer operating systems in the world, and some parental control features have already come build in. You have many options when choosing one of the Best parental control software for windows. For parents picking the right parental control software isn’t a simple task as there are many different parental control apps out there and parents are usually quite busy. We review and analyze the software and compare the pros and cons and give you the bottom line. Read our reviews to save time and choose the best software for Windows without all the guesswork and start protecting your kids.
The online world may look fascinating, but it is actually filled with dangers, especially for young children. Kids and teenagers often fall victim to cyberbullying and stalking. Such events can affect them severely. As parents, monitoring your child’s computer activity, especially on social media, can help you identify instances of cyberbullying and help your child deal with the same.
Moreover, there is much offensive or inappropriate content on the internet that can upset a child. These include pornographic material, violent photos or videos, etc.
By using parental control apps for Windows, you can restrict their access to websites hosting such content. In addition, you can also get notified if your child has been visiting any inappropriate websites so that you can sit down and have a word with them about why they shouldn’t be viewing the content.
And lastly, we all know that the internet can become highly addictive due to the immense information it holds. As a result, children may be exceedingly addicted to online games and social media and may spend a lot of their time on these activities.
This can reflect poorly on their studies and health as they might neglect physical activities such as sports. By using Windows parental apps, you can monitor their activity online and set a time limit on it.
Below are a few things that you need to look for while choosing a monitoring app.
The best parental control software for Windows needs to be equipped with strong web filters that your kids cannot bypass easily. This will allow you to control what they view online. For example, you can easily set filters to prevent them from accessing inappropriate content for their age.
Moreover, some monitoring apps also enable you to block certain websites and even notify you if your kids try to access them.
Kids love to be on social media, making it easier for people to approach them with ulterior motives. Therefore, you need to ensure that the parental control apps you are interested in are equipped with a social media monitoring feature.
This will allow you to view their conversations to identify any potential threats and be aware of the posts they engage with on social media.
Not all monitoring apps come with the time management feature. But if your child is highly addicted to spending time online, this option will be very useful in limiting their time on a website.
You can even choose different time limits for different days of the week. So, for example, they can spend slightly more time online on the weekends than on the weekdays.
Activity records help you monitor the activity your child engages with while online. For example, it can help you identify if they have been addicted to a particular activity (like playing games) or not.
Last but not least, stealth monitoring apps should be easy to use. Starting from the installation process to the actual monitoring of your kid’s computer, the task shouldn’t feel too complicated. Also, the layout of the app should be user-friendly.
Qustodio is probably the best value for money parental control app. It’s user Friendly, limits screen time, games, social media activities, blocks inappropriate content and is compatible with all devices and operating systems.
SPECIAL: GRAB ADDITIONAL 10% DISCOUNT FOR ALL THE PREMIUM PLANS. USE COUPON CODE: PARENTAL10
Norton family premier from Symantec is easy to download and install. No specific limit on the number of devices. Now also available as part of Norton 360 Deluxe (5 devices).
NOTE: SAVE $50 WITH NORTON 360
Mobicip is a parental control software that is compatible with a range of platforms including Android, Windows, iOS, Mac OS, Kindle and chromebook. Mobicip is a pioneer in the parental control software space, having put in more than a decade of work in making the internet safe for our children
McAfee Safe Family is a parental control software with one common application for both the parents and children. Works on an unlimited number of devices and comes with good time management features to restrict your child’s internet usage hours.
SAVE $90 OFF FAMILY PLAN FOR 2Y SUBSCRIPTION
ESET parental control for Android is an affordable parenting control software that supports unlimited number of android devices. Great location tracking capabilities but no monitoring for social networking, texts or calls.
Kaspersky Safe Kids is very affordable, has real time notification and location alerts. Great dash board for monitoring and comes with with 14 different categories for content filtering. Easy installation process.
KidLogger is affordable, with emphasis on messenger chat monitoring. Standout feature is voice and video capture which is quite unique. Easy installation process.
Spy Agent is a parental control software that allows you to operate in stealth mode and still record web activity and monitor chats, emails and programs on PC. It does not support Android or iOS.
Safe Lagoon is an easy set up parental control app to protect your kids online behavior. Does a great job monitoring your child’s IM conversations in real time. It also tracks Instagram and provides parents with daily reports about your child’s activity.
WebWatcher is a good monitoring tools to track SMS, deleted text and photos. Parents can track website history
call log history as well as incoming messages on the leading social channels.
Net Nanny is a parental control software that is compatible with a range of platforms including Android, Windows, iOS, and Kindle. Allows to block and monitor sites and apps.
Life360 is a great choice for parents who would like to monitor their family. It has two main features – location and driving monitoring.
