First published: Mar 31, 2020 Updated 2 times since publishing With five kids ranging in age from 5 to 16, I had to find the best parental control app that was easy to manage and monitor. Using my kids as test subjects, I bought and used over 50 apps on their phones, tablets, and the family computer. Then I ranked them based on the features, strengths and weaknesses, and customer support. What I found throughout my testing of Net Nanny is that it has the basic monitoring and screen management tools, but you can absolutely find cheaper and better options. I was very disappointed with the YouTube Monitoring feature. It didn’t track any of the video searches that my kids did through the YouTube app and while it claimed that a video was blocked, I was able to watch it. If you really want to set powerful parental control rules, and monitor their online activities, check out Qustodio, which has a smart web filter, comprehensive screen time features, and a detailed activity summary. Download Qustodio for Free! All of the parental controls can be accessed either via the mobile app or from a PC or Mac. When you first log in to your dashboard, you’ll get a quick overview of your kid’s app usage and a tabbed interface that allows the parent to check Searches, Screen Time, Blocks/Alerts, YouTube History, and Location. You can also pause their phones (which means that all apps, except for the phone, are blocked) or turn off the internet from the dashboard.
Basic Tools Needed to Monitor Your Kids
How to Set Filters and Limits with Net Nanny
Net Nanny allows you to set filters for specific apps, websites, and to create custom filters, plus setting limitations for daily screen time. To get started click on the Preferences icon in the Parent Dashboard to start personalizing the monitoring and limitations on your kid’s devices.
Daily Screen Time Allocation: I can choose, down to the minute, how much screen time my child can have. Restricted Times: In addition to a daily limit, Net Nanny allows you to create a daily or weekly schedule for when the device can be used. The calendar works in time increments of 15 minutes. This allows me to restrict access during school hours, homework time, and after bedtime.
Net Nanny Content Filters: There are 15 different categories that Net Nanny can filter: Porn, Mature Content, Adult Novelty, Anime, Nudity, Abortion, Strip Clubs, Provocative, Death Gore, Tobacco, Drugs, Weapons, Gambling, and Suicide. You can set each category as either “Allow,” “Alert,” or “Block. The web filter is not as comprehensive as Qustodio, which has over 30 categories, and uses AI and machine learning to understand context, which improves the accuracy of which sites are being blocked.
Create Content Filter: In addition to the default web filters, you have the option to create your own keyword-based filters:
Block or Allow Specific Websites: Net Nanny allows you to select specific URLs to either block or whitelist if you’re finding a site is being incorrectly flagged by the filters.
Block or Allow Specific Apps: Net Nanny compiled a list of over 80 popular apps, plus the apps currently installed on the phone or tablet, and you have the power to block them.
Mask Profanity on Websites: If this feature is activated, Net Nanny will place #### over common curse words.
Force SafeSearch: This will use Google’s Safe Search feature to filter all out inappropriate results from searches.I was surprised to see that even though it says “Force SafeSearch” there were still steps I had to take to actually turn it on. Net Nanny can only apply Safe Search on the browser. It can’t filter searches done through the Google app. You can manually turn on Safe Search through the Google app.Click on the More on the bottom of the screen > Settings > General > Make sure SafeSearch is toggled on.
Installing the Parent App
To get started, you can acquire the Net Nanny Parent app via Google Play or the App Store. After installation, sign in using your account credentials, the ones you used during the account creation process. Once logged in, a welcome window will guide you with helpful tips and highlight the various features available on the dashboard.
Installing Net Nanny Child App
There are a few additional steps to take when installing the child app, because you will need to make some changes to the phone settings to allow Net Nanny to run in the background, access the location, filter apps, and enforce the time management feature. Download the Net Nanny Child App from the App Store or Google Play and create an account for each child. The app will walk you through each of the changes it will need to make in the settings in order to properly work. You will have to give Net Nanny admin permission on your child’s device. This will allow it to monitor the phone or tablet accurately. Click Let’s Do It and then on the next screen click Activate. Depending on your device, you may receive warnings from the OS about granting the app Admin permissions. The permissions are needed to allow Net Nanny to work. Once all the settings are adjusted and you’ve given Net Nanny permission to access the phone’s GPS, pictures, contacts and more, the installation will be complete and Net Nanny will instantly start monitoring the devices. To set up a daily or weekly schedule for when the phone can be used, click on the calendar icon on the dashboard. A calendar will open, and you can click on the Add Interval button at the bottom of the screen. This will allow you to choose whether the phone will be blocked entirely, or just the internet will be paused. When the time limit is reached, or if a child is attempting to use a blocked app, they will get a message saying, “Oh No. The Internet is Blocked.” The kids can open the Child App on their phones and see how much time they have already used and what is remaining. There is also a button to Enable Unrestricted Mode, although I have no idea why, which can be turned on with the username and password. Therefore, for this app to work, you will need to use a password that your child doesn’t know or won’t guess While each of these options has some limitations, for example, the Live Chat is only available Monday – Friday from 10 – 7 EST, you should be able to find answers to your questions fairly quickly. I waited until the customer support staff was working and spoke with them through chat. I was happy to see that they were using real people and not bots that just give pre-written answers. I didn’t have these problems when using Qustodio because it comes with tools to prevent my kids from using a VPN. Not only is the filter more comprehensive, but it proved significantly more difficult for my kids to bypass. You can try Qustodio free for 30 days and experience the powerful filter yourself. The first option is ideal if your child doesn’t have a mobile device, and you just want to monitor their time on a PC or Mac. The second and third options are nearly identical, the only difference being the number of devices you can monitor and the price. All three plans come with all the features listed above. While the bottom line pricing is very similar to Qustodio, I found that Qustodio is a much better value. It has a better web filter and more comprehensive screen time features, plus several features that Net Nanny doesn’t offer. You can try Qustodio for free for 30 days, with unlimited access to all the premium features, and see how easy it is to use for yourself. Qustodio can do everything that Net Nanny can, only better, plus it has additional features such as time limits for apps, locking the device remotely, and social media monitoring, that Net Nanny doesn’t. If setting screen time limits, web filters, real-time location tracking, and monitoring online activities are important for you, try Qustodio free for 30 days, and experience its powerful features for yourself
