Most commonly, they work by installing an app onto the parent’s and child’s devices. They also allow parents to specify the number of minutes or hours a child can spend using a given device – and exactly when that allotment can be used.

These apps and programs prevent your kids from accidentally or purposely accessing dangerous our age-inappropriate content. Most services offer a wide variety of functionality: These fees can range in price from $10 to more than $100. Most parental control apps – for iOS and Android – charge an annual subscription fee that’s tied to the number of devices covered. There’s a fine line between keeping kids protected and invading their budding privacy. Begin an ongoing conversation with your child, tween, or teen about how to behave safely on the Internet even without your controls - and why safety matters. How? Start with these apps, but don’t stop there. The answer is not to ban technology all together, but rather to create an environment in which your child can maximize the value of the device – for homework, research, and recreation – while limiting its downside and overuse. Also at his fingertips is unfettered social media and a gateway to violent imagery, pornography, and other age-inappropriate content.

Now he has access to nearly limitless entertainment – games, videos, and music. You finally caved and got your child a smartphone.

Parental control apps for mac & pc