Parenting styles run the gamut and so do the features in parental control and monitoring utilities. We’ve tested the top services to help you choose the right one for your family.
Today’s kids have never known a time when they couldn’t connect to the entire world via the internet. In fact, they probably spend more time online than anyone else—certainly more than their parents. If you’re a parent, this presents a problem, as there are explicit, disturbing, and illegal websites and apps you don’t want your kids to encounter. Parental control services can help you manage the ever-increasing number of devices your kids use.
These software and hardware solutions let you block unwanted web content, limit screen time, restrict the use of risky applications, and more. Basically, they help keep your kids and teens safer on their computers and mobile devices.
Before you start imposing limits and restrictions though, take some time to learn how your connected kid uses technology. Communicate with your child before implementing any of these options, as it is important they feel you respect their privacy. Otherwise, they’ll find a way around any restrictions, even if you put them in place with your kids’ best interests in mind. Also, as tech addiction increasingly becomes a problem, it’s important children learn the value of good device habits for themselves.
With that in mind, these are the top parental control and monitoring utilities we’ve tested, along with information on what to look for to best protect your family.Where’s Kaspersky?
Kaspersky Safe Kids was on this list for quite some time. We have, however, opted to remove the company’s parental control software from our selection of recommended services.
Although Kaspersky has long faced controversy for its connections to Russia, we have continued to endorse many of the company’s products. That’s partly because our work at PCMag focuses on the products themselves, not their geopolitical ramifications. Also, despite accusations of being in cahoots with the Russian government, no evidence has ever been provided to definitively prove Kaspersky was a bad actor.
However, on March 27, 2022, the FCC issued a warning labeling the company a national security threat. This came after several other organizations and governments dissolved their relationships with Kaspersky in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While we stand by our evaluations of Kaspersky products, we felt this latest development warranted a different response. We have removed Kaspersky’s products from our «Best for» lists and added a statement to all our Kaspersky product reviews.How to Monitor Your Child’s Devices
Gone are the days when a single parental control utility on the family PC was sufficient for keeping your kids safe and productive. Modern kids use all kinds of internet-connected devices, and parental control systems must keep up.
Note that some parental control utilities leverage VPN technology, running internet connections through a local app to enable content filtering. You’ll see the VPN icon when such a utility is active, but it doesn’t mean the child’s connection is secured by a full-scale virtual private network, nor that the device’s IP address is masked.
Check, too, that any limits on the number of child profiles or devices won’t be a problem. Large families, for example, will appreciate that Norton Family works on an unlimited number of devices.
