Whether we like it or not, our lives are more and more connected to the online world. We work, shop, learn, and entertain ourselves online. So, it’s no wonder our kids will mimic our habits and become increasingly interested in exploring the internet. Unfortunately, that means they will be exposed to all sorts of dangers.
Child safety on internet has become a major concern lately. A child's mind is so innocent and open, it’s extremely vulnerable to the many online dangers. The world, in general, has turned into a minefield for parents trying to offer their children a safe and happy childhood along with a good education. But online threats are particularly tricky and extremely numerous.
These are the main problem areas in your child’s online activity:
There are many other threats that need to be considered along with these major ones. It can be as simple as spending too much time online to the detriment of their health and education. In any case, it’s clear why parents need to consider the use of an internet blocker for child safety.
Parental control apps are a great tool in keeping your child safe while they are browsing or socializing online. There are many apps available, both free and with a subscription, but most of them have the same functions. They filter content, block dangerous or age-inappropriate sites, prevent location tracking, monitor texts, and even limit the time your child spends online. You can set it up and then control it remotely, so they are definitely worth trying.
If you are trying to decide which is the best child safety internet blocker, this is a list of the best software available and their main features and specifications.
1. Norton Family Premier. This is more of a way to keep your children aware of the fact that you are watching over their online activity. You need a Norton account and to create a profile for each family member. After that, you will be able to monitor their searches and their conversations on messenger, but also block certain sites and limit their access time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Norton 360 Deluxe is offering parental controls as well as part of the 5 device protection package for only $39.99. Grab it here.
2. McAfee Safe Family can be used on computers but also on smartphones and tablets. It has many advanced features like blocking internet access, monitoring activity, putting certain sites on the blacklist, enforcing safe search, blocking applications from being installed, and even tracking your devices' location.
IMPORTANT NOTE: McAfee Total Protection is offering parental controls as well as part of the Family package 10 device protection for only $34.99. Grab it here.
3. Kaspersky Safe Kids is an affordable option for your PCs and mobile devices. It offers great web filtering, though limited to certain browsers, geofencing, and an effective alarm system. Unfortunately, it has some iOS limitations and doesn’t cover all social media apps.
4. Qustodio is a great child safety blocker but can be a bit expensive. There is a free version, but that one is limited to a single device. It has broad support but is not that easy to use. It offers features like filtering, time and texting management, location tracking, social monitoring, and the very useful panic button.
5. FamilyTime is a great option for iOS and Android devices. It offers detailed tracking of your child's online activity and helps you locate your family members and see what apps they have installed. You can download it from Google Play or App Store.
The pros are obvious, internet blockers help you keep your children safe from online abuse and from being exposed to inappropriate websites. They also prevent them from posting private and sensible information about themselves or the entire family.
First of all, your children may feel like you are invading their personal space or that you don’t trust them, so your relationship may suffer. On the other hand, there is also the danger that you are dealing with a fake parental control app that can do serious damage. On the other hand, if it’s a high-quality app it can be pricey.
The threats to your child’s innocence and safety in the online environment as so numerous and dangerous they definitely cannot be ignored. Is a child safety blocker the best solution? It may not be perfect or ideal, but it does help you keep track of their activities and block the threats they are unaware of.
Of course, no system is perfect, so communicating with your children must be the main strategy. Tell them about how dangerous the internet can be and that you are only watching them for their own protection. And most of all, teach them to become alert themselves and recognize hidden dangers. But until they get there, parental control apps can be of great help as long as you do a little research before choosing one.
Parental control software is an app that is downloaded to a master phone (usually a parent’s phone), with other apps either secretly (or not so secretly) downloaded to the target (usually, your children’s) phones. The apps then track, monitor and even secretly screenshot or record the target phone’s, with a variety of features to ensure you're kept in the loop of what your children might be doing with their devices.
Because there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and you get what you pay for. To our knowledge, any parental control software that has a free plan either isn't worth the time, or will be so severely limited in what it can do that it becomes useless as a parental control tool.
It depends on the specific parental control software you use, but otherwise, yes. Most devices and operating systems are supported, including our remember parental control software for you, above.
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