So necessary and yet so dangerous for children. It is impossible to imagine our daily lives without the mobile phone, an indispensable tool for communication, information and a thousand other things.
They are so important today that it is impossible to leave home without one in your pocket, or even think that one of our children could go out without it if something happens.
But it also gives them the opportunity to know the good and bad aspects of new technologies.
Because the Internet is a world full of possibilities, but when combined with the evil of some people, it can become a very dangerous place. One must also take into account the fascination and playfulness of these devices, which can also cause children to become overly interested in them.
So much so that finding an app to monitor your child's phone is probably the most important thing you can do right now. Know that They exist and there are free and paid solutions. Here we present them to you and tell you the positive and negative aspects of the best offers in the sector.
You can also read: 10 Best Apps to Control Mobile Usage Time
Parental control systems
Most mobile phones today come with parental controls as standard. Major companies are aware that the Internet can be a dangerous place for children, and that the apps available in their digital stores contain some inappropriate elements.
There have already been numerous cases of children who have spent hundreds of euros on video games for their parents or who have accidentally made a transaction using an application installed on a mobile phone.
This situation, in addition to the fact that algunas apps are not suitable for different age groups for its content, which is why there are built-in parental controls for Android y iPhone which, despite their simplicity, do their job very well.
They monitor our children's activity on their mobile phones, although they are not at the level of the most powerful and professional apps in the sector. They offer a simple and basic solution.
Parental Controls for iPhone
If your child has an iPhone, you should know that parental controls are available in the device settings. To access it, go to the settings and Look for the Restrictions option. Once you open it, you will see the parental control menu of iOSThere you will find everything you need to control your phone, at least partially.
Once the control is up and running, you will need to enter a 4-digit PIN. This password can be used to activate or deactivate the phone's security systems. Make sure you save the password and do not share it with anyone.Once activated, you will not be able to download anything to your iPhone or purchase anything digitally.
The system also has additional features, such as the ability to limit the number of hours of use or block access to certain websites. It may be simple, but it is much more effective than it seems at first glance.
Parental control on Android
Of course, Android also has its own parental controls. In this case, you don't need to go into the device settings, but go straight to the heart of downloading and installing apps: the app store. Google Play. In the digital app store You will find blocking options and filtering that you can activate to control the actions in your smartphone.
How to do this? First, by entering the store. Next, you need to go to the options menu on one of the pages and find the “User Management” section in the drop-down menu. Are you already there? If so, find the “Parental Control” option and click on it to activate the configuration and initialization of this protocol.
It works the same way as on the iPhone, with a 4-digit PIN to activate or deactivate, and allows for some interesting settings.
First, it makes it easy to block apps based on an age rating system. It also filters access to movies and music based on the child's age and blocks purchases.
These features are enough if you are looking for something simple., but if you want to go a little further and need other solutions to manage your device, they become insufficient. If you are looking for something more complete and powerful, we encourage you to continue reading, as we have more information on how to control your children's phones.
6 Best Apps To Control Your Child's Mobile Phone
There are many programs and apps that allow you to control your child's phone. If there's one thing that can be said about the Internet, it's that it's a huge place full of solutions. There are paid and highly professional programs, as well as free tools that can do much more than parental controls for iOS and Android.
Por eso We focus on compiling a selection of the best apps to control your child's smartphone. A review of the 3 most powerful and safe ones currently available, so you don't have any problems.
In case you don't know, there are also many fake freeware programs on the Internet, i.e. fake offers that only aim to infect your device and cause problems. If you don't want to search and verify the safety of every freeware solution you find, we make it easy for you. You just have to read what we explain below:
1. Custodio
Qustodio has earned more than enough credits to become one of the most recommended parental control apps. It works on Android and iOS and offers few basic features, but it's great for an app that you don't have to pay for. Of course, There is a broader payment alternative, but the free version is more than enough to satisfy many parents.
With this app you can control which apps can and cannot be opened on your device. Also You can set usage times so that your child does not use the device All There, except in cases of emergency.
It allows you to block apps to avoid all possible risks, and the best thing is that it offers all this through a very intuitive and accessible interface. Anyone can use this tool to control their child's mobile phone, without needing to have computer knowledge.
2.Norton Family
The best thing about Norton Family is that it comes from Norton, which is a clear indication of the quality it prides itself on. The software is much more complete, powerful and professional if you opt for the paid version, but the free version is just as good, especially in the eyes of parents looking for a safe, reliable and easy-to-use application.
Its design is well thought out, so anyone can use it without any inconvenience. It has a notification system that alerts you every time downloads and visit a website, and it allows you to set filters to block websites and apps as you wish.
Warn and block: the two main features of a parental control application. On the other hand, it also includes a very interesting monitoring system, but much more interesting in the paid version.
3. Life360 – Family Locator
Life360 is a mobile monitoring application that is different from the previous ones. In this case, it is not a tool to block or filter content, apps or games, but a tool that primarily focuses on security, through geolocation.
Why? Because allows you to see the location of your phone at any time, as well as the specified time and a digital map. A special feature of this program is the registration system. Parents can ask their children to log in remotely at any time to find out where they are.
Other details
A very interesting solution that becomes more complete and exhaustive if you opt for a paid plan, and that only has one drawback, and that is that it can only be used on smartphones, since it is compatible with both iOS and Android.
We have already seen the Best free apps to control your child's phoneWhile these solutions are highly effective and easy to use, they may not be enough for families who want better protection and control of their children's devices.
This is not a problem as there are tools that do this and provide security, although this is a slightly different area.
Paid apps to monitor your child's cell phone
Now that we have seen the free options, it is time to move on to the more professional, complete and sometimes more sophisticated options. Let's look at the best payment apps to control your child's phone. This type of software is usually more advanced in every way and goes far beyond controlling the installation of applications.
The selection we leave here includes some advanced monitoring apps and others that are paid versions of the free apps we have already seen. It is worth doing a little research in each area. to find the best option for each case.
Below are some quality tools that more or less guarantee you the possibility of controlling your children's smartphone remotely. Read on if you want to know the best paid programs for mobile phone monitoring and parental control:
4.Norton Family
Norton Family Premier, the paid version of the free Norton Family app, is a powerful protection, monitoring and control tool, compatible with iOS, Android and Windows, although not all functions can be used on all devices at the same time.
Firstly, The application offers the possibility to check the websites you visit and the amount of time you spend using your smartphone, but this is just a small part of what it can do.
It also tracks social media activity, email alerts, device activity history, a parental app that controls everything, geolocation, virus protection, identity and private data protection, backups and much more.
It is a complete suite of to maximise security and your enjoyment. which also acts as parental control. A 30-day free trial is also available, and the price for the first year is 39,99 euros.
5. YouPy
YouPy is a very powerful software. This paid tool works like a spy or surveillance software. In other words, it doesn't protect your device, but it gives you access to it and allows you to see all your information at any time and place.
It has just one drawback: it is currently only compatible with Android and therefore cannot be used to control an iPhone.
With this program You can see all the activity on your device, check social media activity, take screenshots, record through the microphone or camera, view your contacts' address book, remaining battery life, real-time location, multimedia content, and even the most and least used applications.
And all for an average price of about 7,50 euros per year (the most ecological of the three available). It is powerful, Very easy to use and quite powerfulThere is a reason it is considered one of the best surveillance applications.
6. My Mobile Watchdog
A very different app from the other two, but also very good if you want to monitor one of your children's phones. My Mobile Watchdog is an app that allows you to check photos, text messages, Internet usage, call logs and much more.
In fact, It has about 20 surveillance systems that cannot be activated or used without it.
It works completely on Android and iOS, so there are no compatibility issues. In addition to the above features, you can also block apps at certain times, such as at night or even during school hours, and locate your device at any time using geolocation.
All this is offered for about 45 euros per year.Compared to the rest of the industry, this is quite cheap.
Each of these three tools is more than enough to give you almost complete control over your child's phone. You won't be holding it in your hand, but it will be almost the same as holding it in your hand, as you will be able to communicate directly with your child and control everything.
Why you should monitor your child's cell phone
Having considered all the options available, and the ease and complexity of their use, you may still be wondering why you should monitor your child's mobile phone. Many parents may think that it is not necessary because their children use smartphones responsibly, but there are a number of factors to consider to ensure that this is the case.
Does your child use a mobile phone during the day? If so, there are a number of reasons why this is happening, and it can have a negative impact on your daily life. Some of the tools mentioned above allow you to block the use of an app or the entire device for a certain period of time.
This can prevent possible sleep disturbances or even problems at school, as more attention is paid to the smartphone than to classes. Another possible reason for checking a mobile phone could be the suspicion that a child has been the victim of cyberbullying.
Other details
Thanks to numerous free messaging apps and social media, everyone can communicate with each other more easily than ever, but on the other hand, bullying has increased.
Children may not be fully aware of the damage they can cause, and parents may not notice the problem in time. Sometimes a clever call from a parent can help. WhatsApp or a strange message is the best way to pull the thread before it's too late.
Is it legal?
Anyone who uses surveillance software is always faced with the question of whether it is completely legal. If so, you should not worry because it is legal monitor and control other people's smartphones as long as the owner is under the protection of the person monitoring him.
In all countries, with few exceptions, parents are always the legal guardians of their children. This gives them carte blanche to use any of these programs.
In many cases, the phone number is also in the name of the parents and not the children, another reason to be careful. Don't worry, you will not have problems with the law If you use these tools, no matter how hard they try to protect your online privacy.
You can also read: Top 5 Best Antivirus For Android In 2021
My name is Javier Chirinos and I am passionate about technology. Ever since I can remember, I have been interested in computers and video games, and that passion has turned into a job.
I have been publishing about technology and gadgets on the Internet for over 15 years, especially in mundobytes.com
I am also an expert in online marketing and communication and have knowledge in WordPress development.