How to block an application on android from a child. Parental control for Android. Parental control programs are free. Parental controls in the YouTube app

If you intend to monitor your children's activities, you need a parental control app that works well on mobile platforms. Children can use smartphones and, as they want - either for its intended purpose or not. Maybe they just spend too much time every day staring at a screen. After all, technology addiction is a serious problem for children and adults. Perhaps your children are even interacting with dangerous strangers without your knowledge. Either way, a good parental control app can restore your sense of control and help you be wary of things that might harm them. Be sure to have conversations with your kids about the importance of being in charge so they don't uninstall apps or try to bypass restrictions.

TOP parental control apps for Android.

Android apps can help you maintain control in a variety of ways. Some of the most common types of monitoring include web content filtering, app blocking, usage time management, and location tracking. We'll detail these top features (and a few more) below. Keep in mind that some of the apps described are mobile solutions, which means they cannot control your child's PC activities.

Most child phone monitoring apps require you to pay for an annual subscription based on the number of devices you control. Prices range from $10 to $30 for monitoring one or two devices, and in some cases go over $100 if you need 10 or more licenses. However, there are exceptions. Some services, such as Locategy, are freemium, albeit with some restrictions that the premium version does not apply to. Others, like Kaspersky Safe Kids and Norton Family, don't limit the number of devices or additional accounts you can control.

Most apps can work on both Android and iOS. These mobile apps usually let you manage settings and view reports from the phone or tablet itself, although some don't. The quality of apps can also vary significantly between platforms - the stricter iOS development rules sometimes make a noticeable difference, as is the case with Locategy. Such software is usually more powerful on Android than on iOS, since Apple blocks access rights to applications and devices. For most parental control apps, you need to install a mobile device management (MDM) profile for all features (especially those related to app management and time limits) to work properly.

Web filtering

A feature of Child Control is the ability to prevent access to inappropriate or dangerous websites. Most of these applications integrate their own browser, which makes it easy to manage services, monitor and control browsing activity. This is more efficient than trying to rebuild support for every mobile browser. Thus, most of these apps instruct you to block all other browsers or prevent your child from installing any other apps at all.

Most of them work in a similar way - they block access to sites that fall into the prohibited category, as well as file sharing, gambling, pornography and violence. The best examples have no problem collecting HTTPS-encrypted traffic and blocking access to anonymous proxies. Some applications, such as Net Nanny, allow you to create custom filtering categories over the Internet, and the vast majority allow you to add specific rules for custom domains. The quality of web history reports also differs. Qustodio shows previews of the sites your child has visited on the timeline and contextual options for setting rules, while FamilyTime Premium doesn't support web controls at all.

App lock and time limits

One area is the ability to prevent children from using selected apps. This can come in handy for parents who want to prevent their children from using social media apps, messaging services that are difficult to control, or browsers that bypass certain Internet filters. However, it can be difficult to keep track of every new app your child installs. For example, Boomerang automatically blocks new apps your child installs until you approve them.

Time limit is another important feature of parental control apps. Some services, such as Norton and FamilyTime, allow you to specify how many hours (or minutes) per day your child can spend on a device, as well as a schedule for when this can be done. Net Nanny takes a slightly different approach and applies these time frames to Internet usage. Others, like Qustodio, help you set up usage schedules for specific apps and devices, as well as specify the total time slot for your child that applies to each hardware bundle.

The mobile parental control app should be able to track the child's current location and store the location data in history. It is also important that they have a level of control over notifications and the frequency of location reports to avoid being attacked by spam. Qustodio and Norton Family offer these features. Some services, including Locategy, Boomerang, and FamilyTime, go one step further by letting you build geos around a location. For geos, there are digital boundaries around a physical location that help parents keep track of when a child arrives or leaves a given location.

Kaspersky Safe Kids even lets you add a time dimension to geo-fencing, so you can easily make sure your child stays where they're supposed to, all day long. Boomerang offers a unique feature where you can draw custom geo objects on the map; others simply create a circular radius around a point you specify.

Communication and additional services

The best parental control apps let you record and track who your child is talking to and about. Keep in mind that this feature is almost entirely limited on Android. Of course, the implementation of this feature varies from service to service. For example, FamilyTime Premium copies the entire message history and call log. Norton and Boomerang take a different approach and allow you to specify which conversations to monitor and log. Others, such as Locategy, only display the phone's call log. The best parental control software also allows you to manage your child's social media activities, although in most cases this is limited to Facebook.

One of the latest updates is the SOS button. When a child presses it, an alert is sent to parents and other trusted contacts. The notification includes information about the time and location and (in some cases) until the child deactivates the alarm or the parent disables it from their account. This works regardless of the platform and even if the child has run out of allotted time. Parents who are concerned that they can always reach their children in an emergency should look to Qustodio and Locategy.

Review of the best parental control apps

While the range of features supported by parental control software is impressive, no system is perfect. If your kids want to bypass the restrictions you impose, they can probably do so either with rogue devices or find ways to wipe their devices. Thus, it's worth talking to your child about why you installed the monitoring software in the first place. After all, digital security is an important topic for everyone.

Qustodio

License cost: $54.95

Qustodio is a highly customizable, easy-to-manage tool for tracking your child's activity across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices.

License cost: $14.99

• accessible;
• no restrictions on devices or child profiles;
• flexible control of the use of devices and applications;
• web filtering;
• geofencing;
• extensive notification system.

Kaspersky Safe Kids is a full-featured, affordable parental monitoring system for desktop and mobile platforms that does not impose limits on the number of monitored devices.

License cost: $49.99

• accessible;
• excellent web panel;
• settings apply to all devices;
• there are no restrictions on the number of computers, phones, tablets or children;
• tracks the location of the child.

• does not work on Mac;
• no free version;
• does not block HTTPS sites in unsupported browsers;
• the website extension is easily disabled;
• features are platform dependent;
• little social media tracking.

Norton Family's top-notch web interface and many features make it easy for parents to track and manage their kids' activities across many of their devices, though it doesn't work on a Mac.

License cost: $39.99

• support for Windows, Mac, Android;
• web configuration and reporting;
• powerful filtration;
• android application management.

• no new updates;
• Price;
• no location tracking;
• lack of advanced time management;
• limited iOS features.

The web-based and multi-platform approach to parental control makes Net Nanny a useful option for today's world, but it's been a long time since a significant application has been released.

License cost: $12.00

• good app and device management;
• useful web filters;
• geoprocessing support;
• control of calls and SMS on Android.

• price;
• only on smartphones;
• some restrictions on iOS;
• each device must be configured separately;
• a special browser is required;
• no social media tracking.

Boomerang is a trusted parental control solution for Android and iOS that helps parents track their children's online, app, and mobile activity. But, since it's only for mobile devices, you can't use it to monitor Macs or PCs.

License cost: $20.00

• excellent design;
• accurate location tracking;
• application blocking and usage schedules;
• free version available.

• no support for Mac and PC;
• there is not enough blocking of calls and SMS;
• there is no monitoring of social networks;
• web filtering only works in certain browsers.

Locategy tracks your child's activities and location, but some design elements may use an update, and the web filtering capabilities only work with a few browsers.

License cost: $27.00

• simple installation and configuration;
• app blocker;
• SOS and Pick Me Up;
• call and SMS tracking;
• geoprocessing.

• price;
• unable to control Mac or PC;
• no web content filtering;
• easily removed;
• not all features work as expected;
• Features may vary across platforms.

Bottom Line: FamilyTime Premium does a decent job of tracking your kids' locations on Android and iOS, but it's a mobile-only parental control solution and the lack of web filtering and inconsistency are serious drawbacks.

Parental controls are regularly updated, especially for smartphones. If you're using a parental control app that isn't listed, and it has special features or is just convenient and efficient, don't forget to leave a comment below the article. Your offer may appear the next time the list is updated.

Many children between the ages of 7 and 14 already have their own smartphone. Responsible parents should take care of installing a specialized application for parental control. Recently, the German laboratory AV-TEST tested such solutions, checking the effectiveness of the proposed control in everyday use.

Smartphones with Internet: about 30 percent of 8-year-olds already own their own smartphone

A window to the world in the hands of a seven-year-old child. This is perhaps the most concise description for a smartphone with Internet access. As you know, network gateways serve not only to access the external space, but also to intrude on the device. Parental control apps on Android try to solve this problem by providing secure paths to the Internet and at the same time close the gate to external threats.

Most of the smartphones sold in the world run on the Android OS. Naturally, the market was forced to respond to this with the release of a large number of specialized applications for parental control. Many antivirus solutions for the mobile platform already have a built-in parental control feature. However, there are separate standalone apps that are purely for parental control. AV-Test tested the performance and functionality of 12 different applications. 4 apps are antivirus apps with built-in controls, while the remaining 8 apps are standalone parental control solutions. The following vendors participated in the testing program: Bitdefender, eScan, F-Secure, Kiddoware, McAfee, Mobicip, Net Nanny, Quick Heal, Salfeld, Screen Time Labs, Symantec and Trend Micro.

Popular Applications

Lab researchers tested functionality and coverage in addition to measuring filtration efficiency and detection of unwanted sources. The bottom line is that almost all of the apps we tested did a great job. The main difference between them is the equipment with additional functions.

while the app is great at filtering unwanted sites, that's where its functionality ends.

The main purpose of a parental control app is to sort and block websites and content. In order to allow your child to view certain websites, you must enter his age immediately after installing the application. In the lab, the researchers pointed to a fictitious seven-year-old Timmy and set up the app accordingly, such as selecting the appropriate preset profile. There are several ways to filter web content. For example, sites can be fine-tuned according to a whitelist so that the child can only visit authorized sources. The second method is the logical analysis of websites by title and content. To implement a similar algorithm of work, many applications offer to configure allowed content categories. Depending on the selected profile, the appropriate categories are activated, and web resources are classified by applications, after which it blocks or allows access.

The application uses its own browser to protect children from inappropriate websites.

More than 10,000 sites verified

The test tested the technology robot and evaluated the application logic. To do this, each app had to weed out more than 6,000 sites that were not suitable for children to view. As an additional argument, another 4,500 sites with child-friendly content were used to check for false positives. The difficulty of the task lies in the following: a site with a harmless fairy tale is definitely appropriate for children. The car dealership site is not intended for children, but it does not contain any inappropriate content, so it should not be blocked. Researchers have paid special attention to the logic of analysis of the sources of applications to make sure that websites are not mistakenly blocked. If such false positives occur quite often, it is likely that the child will want to get rid of the parental control system completely. In testing, many apps that were very effective at blocking certain categories, such as Symantec, Quick Heal, or F-Secure, also blocked a large number of resources suitable for children. However, the top apps in the second test (for false positives), such as Mobicip, Kiddoware, or Salfeld, were less effective at filtering categories.

The app from Screen Time Labs did no filtering at all. The product only allows you to block or allow the launch of the browser. If the smartphone is connected to the network, the application allows you to remotely lock the smartphone using parental controls by using the parent's device, for example.

parental control apps on Android use similar logic and mechanisms to separate sources into relevant and inappropriate

Some applications are almost devoid of additional features

The features built into individual parental control apps vary widely. Very often, search engine protection (safe search) is enabled, which is automatically activated by applications. This protection may extend to Google, Bing or Yahoo. Initially, the search engine filters search results that contain adult movies, photos, and text content. This feature is offered by F-Secure, Mobicip, Net Nanny and Symantec.

Many parents want to be able to limit the amount of time they can access the device, go online, and use apps. These additional features do not occur together. 7 out of 12 apps tested offer one of these blocking features, and only Salfeld offers two.

Kiddoware, Screen Time Labs, and Symantec allow you to lock your device for a specific amount of time. During a lockdown, only Symantec allows you to dial emergency numbers.

In addition, additional tools include app blocking, Facebook account monitoring, and temporary control of incoming and outgoing calls. But even these features are only partially available in some applications, as this table illustrates.

in terms of extra features, most apps are limited

Remote access and control

Nearly half of child protection applications offer an online control panel that allows adults to remotely administer devices and also contains a log of logged activities in an easy-to-read format. Some solutions allow you to track the location of your smartphone using the site. This feature will definitely be useful for finding a lost device.

Web portal app developers also typically offer a report or logging functionality to easily monitor children's activities. These components usually display a list of visited and blocked sites, search history, a list of attempts to launch blocked applications, and an overview of all attempts to violate the established rules. Only Screen Time Labs shows how long the device has been used. In general, reporting and logging functions are only part of several applications.

very few applications register a child's online activity on a smartphone

Which app is the best?

As such, there is no winner. The features of the applications, as well as their filtering, detection, and reporting philosophies, are too diverse. Here is a tip from testers: the younger the child, the more automated the system for blocking sites and services should be. A child between the ages of 7 and 10 is not very upset because of the blocking of the site and continues to surf. Teenagers, on the other hand, are too irritated with the blocking and try to find ways to bypass the protection. That is why, for this age group, the researchers recommend creating fewer obstacles, but compensate for this with a more powerful accounting and information system. Parents should also engage in personal conversations with children about certain content found on the Internet.

A child, especially if he is in his teens, has always been a "headache" for parents. It is at this age that children believe that they have already matured and sometimes find themselves in difficult situations. To control a teenage child, you need to make a lot of effort, because he leaves all his free time to himself. Because of this, almost all parents worry about them and don't know how to keep them safe. But exists on the phone for parental controls, which will give parents ample opportunity to always be aware of what is happening with their child.

Today, almost all children and adolescents have mobile phones. And everyone knows that modern phones have ceased to be a simple means of communication, in addition, they have many functions. Therefore, such phones are an excellent tool to keep track of the child.

VkurSe application for Parental Control for Android- this is not only tracking the location of the child, but you will also have the opportunity to receive your child's personal information, for example, correspondence in instant messengers, social networks, SMS messages, calls and much more.

Thanks to our program, you will have full access to all information on your phone, even photos and audio files. Parents will always be aware of where the child is at the moment and with whom he communicated.

In addition, the phone tracking program allows you to listen to what is happening next to your child. This feature is considered very useful, because this is the only way parents can find out if the teenager is in bad company.

Parental control of this kind is much more effective than if you constantly call a teenager and ask where and with whom he is. Usually, teenagers hide a lot of things from their parents, and intrusive calls can simply bore them or even annoy them.

Unfortunately, children do not appreciate the care that their parents give them - and therefore sometimes they do not even bother to warn that they are late at school or in the sports section. Parents in such a situation have to bite their nails and worry, as if nothing happened to their child.

However, there is a way to avoid such worries: it is enough to use one of the applications for tracking children, available in a huge number both in Google Play and in the AppStore.

Price: Free

The name of this application perfectly describes the essence of its work. With this program, you can control the location of your child. Whether he was late visiting his friends, whether he is still in the section - you will definitely be still before the call of your son or daughter. In a special section, it is allowed to outline geofences. If your child has gone beyond them, then a push notification will be sent to the smartphone. Also, the developers have a bot in Telegram, which also notifies about such events - you just need to remember to subscribe to it.

With KidControl, you can use not only the GPS chip built into your child's smartphone. This application allows you to monitor even the state of the battery. If a child claims that his smartphone is good for nothing, being discharged in three hours, then you can always check his words remotely. Another important function is the SOS signal. If you click on the appropriate button, then all parents and relatives connected to the service will receive a signal for help. At the same time, it immediately becomes clear exactly where the person who gave the alarm is located - his location is displayed on the map.

The app can be downloaded for both Android and iOS. It is very convenient, because with its help you can monitor not only children, but also all other family members - for example, elderly relatives. If only the person had a smartphone on which the service client is installed.

"Where Are My Children"

Price: Free

Program " Where are my children"takes control not only of the location of the child, but also the battery level of his smartphone - as soon as the battery is low, the parent will receive an alert about it.

What else can the app do? Where are my children»?

• wiretapping. This is a unique feature that none of the similar programs can boast of. The app allows the parent to listen and record the sound around the child's phone - without the child's knowledge. The function is especially important for those users whose children are in a restless adolescence.
• Setting movement zones. This feature is not unique, but that does not reduce its value. The parent defines the area within which the child can move freely. As soon as the baby leaves the zone, the parent is notified about it.
• Saving the history of movements. The program stores information about where the baby has been in the last 2 days, and provides it to the parent upon request. After analyzing this information, the parent can conclude where the child prefers to “hang out” and with whom he spends most of his time.

Application " Where are my children" has two modes - " Parent" and " Child”, so the user should not have a question how to configure the program. Parental mode allows you to monitor the baby through the phone, the mode " Child» is needed only to confirm the observation.

Price: Free

The application "" cannot boast of innovation, but it perfectly performs the very function for which it is installed - control over the movements of the child. In addition, the program is able to ensure that the baby does not leave the geofences defined by the parent, and stores data on all the movements of the baby for a month.

The application "" has a number of advantages over analogues:

• Cross-platform. The program can be downloaded not only on the iPhone or on a gadget running on Android, but also on a mobile device with Windows OS.
• Simplicity. It will not take much time to deal with the interface - it is excellently Russified.
• Economy. The application is completely free, and in addition, it consumes Internet traffic to a minimum. This means that its use will definitely not lead to a waste of money from the “mobile phone” account.

Regarding the installation of the tracker, there is an important point: Parent and child phones must have different apps downloaded. The parent should set "", and the baby - " Mom Knows: GPS Beacon". Applications form a bundle, as a result of which information about the location of the child will be sent to the parent's phone in real time.

"Lighthouse"

Price: Free+

Like "", application " Lighthouse» will not surprise the user with functional delights, but will please the brilliant execution of the design idea. Among all the programs designed to control the location of children, this one has perhaps the most beautiful (and at the same time concise) interface.

Application functionality " Lighthouse» allows parents to:

• Be sure that their child has arrived at the appointed place (school, sports section).
• Instantly receive information about the current location of the baby.
• Monitor the charge level on the child's smartphone.
• Analyze the history of the movements of the baby.
• Receive alarm calls - the child just needs to press the button " Anxiety”, and a message about a possible danger and the address where the baby can be found will appear on the screen of the parent’s smartphone.

At the application " Lighthouse"There is a significant minus: it is free for 2 weeks only. To continue using it after this period, you need to pay from 169 to 229 rubles, depending on the operating system of the gadget.

Life360 - "Family Locator"

Price: Free

Creator Life360 Chris Hulls does not like it when his offspring is called a tracking application - the entrepreneur insists that he has developed a social network for communication within the family. Family members using Life360, can learn about each other's location, but only with mutual approval.

In terms of application functionality Life360 has gone far ahead of all competitors and at the same time continues to improve. Here is what the program can do now:

• Thanks to the " Already home» Life360 warns that one of the family members is coming to the house. A user who is waiting for his wife from work will have a few minutes to do a little cleaning and cook a light dinner.
• Built-in group chat family channel allows family members to communicate with each other completely free of charge and successfully replaces the SMS service and popular instant messengers.
• Application Life360 includes the function Panic» — analogue of the panic button. In the case of using this function, the entire family will be notified within a few seconds that one of its members has a problem. It is important that the performance of the function " Panic” does not depend on the state of the mobile balance - you can “declare an alarm” even with zero on your account.
• The program is able to quickly inform users about the nearest places where you can get help in emergency situations - hospitals, police stations. Actually, it was this function that the developers conceived as the main one - when Hulls "and his comrades" wanted to provide the victims of Hurricane Katrina with a more effective platform for communication than the US Government offered.

Application Life360 is shareware - the full version can be purchased for $5 per month. However, domestic users do not need to do this: most of the paid functions Life360 only works in the USA.

How to monitor children on the phone using the services of operators?

If the parent does not have a smartphone and cannot install one of the applications described above, they should resort to an alternative - connect the mobile option for remote babysitting. Top 4 operators offer the following options:

• "Child under supervision" (MTS). The service allows you to learn about the approximate location of the baby through SMS requests. The service costs 100 rubles per month - plus 5 rubles will be charged per request if one subscriber controls more than 3 people.
• "Radar +" (Megafon). The option allows the parent to track the movements of the child, and also informs him when the child leaves the specified geofence. Price " Radar +"- 7 rubles a day.
• "Coordinates" (Beeline). The Beeline service gives the user the opportunity to find out the location of another subscriber - who previously agreed to be controlled. Option " Coordinates» is quite cheap, and in the first week it is completely free. At the end of the test period, the subscriber will have to pay 1.7 rubles per day.
• Geopoisk (Tele2). The option allows you to monitor the location and movements of another subscriber around the clock - of course, if this subscriber approves of "surveillance". Connection " geosearch» free of charge, the subscription fee for using the service is 2 rubles per day.

Locator services are offered by all carriers, but smartphone users are advised to opt out of these options in favor of third-party mobile apps. There are a number of reasons for this: firstly, the data provided by operators is very, very approximate (because it depends on network coverage), Secondly, provider services are paid (whereas, for example, the application "" does not require money at all), third In order for tracking to be feasible, both phones (parent and child) must be connected to the same operator - and this is not always convenient.

Conclusion

Muscovites should not have questions about how to track a child by phone and what application to use for this - residents of the capital should definitely prefer Kid Radar. This program gives parents the opportunity to keep abreast of not only the movements of the baby, but also his progress in school - thanks to the innovative function " Electronic diary».

The provincial user is advised to track the child through the phone using the application " Where are my children”, which has a very extensive functionality. Among other things, the program allows listen, what is happening around the child, and even record sound remotely. However, abuse this the function is still not worth it: if peers find out that their classmate is carrying a “bug”, they will simply stop communicating with him.

Just 5-7 years ago, a smartphone was considered a luxury that only wealthy and adult people had. With the development of technology and with the decrease in the average cost of smartphones and tablets, they have become available to a wider range of users. We often give our mobile devices to children, nephews or younger siblings. However, many would like to limit the immature minds of small users from the negative impact of the global network. To do this, Android has a built-in parental control feature. Next, we will tell you how to set up parental controls on Android gadgets.

App Lock protection for toddlers.

Parental controls on Google Play

There are many other ways to keep kids safe online. You can set restrictions for the YouTube app. There is also a special version of YouTube Kids designed exclusively for toddlers. You can also use third-party applications to control children. Among the most popular are Kaspersky Safe Kids and Screen Time.