How To Monitor Your Kids Portable Devices

If you want to keep track or monitor your kids portable devices activity in today’s world, you’ll need a parental control program that works on both mobile and desktop platforms. On purpose or by mistake, kids may get into mischief with their cellphones (or tablets). Perhaps they spend too much time looking at a device or utilizing age-inappropriate websites and applications daily. A proper parental control tool can help you regain control and keep an eye out for anything that could harm your children.

Make sure you have open and continuous dialogues with your children about the significance of appropriate device usage, so they don’t immediately plot to uninstall or find creative workarounds for whatever app you install. If you’re not sure where to start, read our article on what parents of connected kids should know.

In various ways, parental control apps can assist you in maintaining control. Web content filtering, app banning, time management, and location tracking are some of the most frequent types of monitoring. Below, we go over these top features in greater depth. Keep in mind that some of the tools we feature are only available for mobile devices, so they won’t be able to track your child’s actions on Macs or PCs.

Cell phones and iPods are no longer reserved for adults. Preschoolers now have access to their parents’ electronics, while elementary school students have their smartphones. As a result, parents in the twenty-first century must employ parental control apps, screen time management solutions, and apps to track their children’s phone usage.

According to Pew Research Center research, six out of ten parents with children who use cell phones report that their child started using the device before they were five. Despite the fact that iPhones, Android phones, and iPads appear to be all about games, many parents give their children or teens a phone as a form of protection and communication when they are unable to be with them. However, content monitoring is one of the most common worries parents have when giving their children access to mobile devices. “Is my child watching improper movies or visiting inappropriate websites, and how do I stop them?” we question. That’s not all, though. Parents are also concerned about who their children communicate with online and if they are aware of the hazards of online predators.

Discuss internet safety and app usage with your child before they start using their new mobile devices, Chromebooks, Apple products, or other electronic media. Here are some safety considerations to talk about with your child regularly.

Table of Contents

Best Application to Monitor Your Kids Portable Devices

1. mSpy (Mobile Spy)

Your primary concern: keeping your children safe by monitoring social media activity, messages, and content while remaining modest.

Our top pick is mSpy, which has been on the market for almost 10 years and is the industry’s leading surveillance app. mSpy operates entirely in the background, so your child or teen will have no idea that you’re watching them.

mSpy may search through text messages, emails, and messaging applications for possibly damaging messages and inappropriate content or images. This simple-to-use tool can also show you any movies or images your child takes on their phone, allowing you to scan the information as needed.

mSpy updates every five minutes, so you’ll always know what your child is up to and what content they’re watching. Furthermore, the built-in GPS allows you to track their activities, ensuring that they are at the mall as claimed! It also allows you to create safe zones to follow when your child enters or leaves a specific location, such as a school or grandma’s house.

mSpy provides parents with the peace of mind they need to know that their children are secure from cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and potentially hazardous or unsavory classmates or connections, all while retaining confidentiality and enabling them to have their gadgets.

Other great mSpy features include remote device tracking and control, which allows you to ban apps, websites, and even callers. The power is truly in your hands!

It’s no surprise that mSpy is America’s #1 family tracking app, with its capacity to follow all areas of online activity, 24/7 help in various languages, and inexpensive rates.

2. Qustodio

Your primary concern: The safety of web browsing and social media

Qustodio bills itself as the greatest free parental control program on the internet. The Qustodio software is available for Windows PCs, Macs, iOS, Android, and Kindle devices. It features a complete dashboard that allows you to keep track of your child’s online activities. For example, you can follow your child’s online and search engine usage, track her Facebook and Twitter logins, and set time limits with the free version. Still, with Qustodio Premium, you can also track her location, block certain games and applications, monitor calls and text messaging, and more. (Plans for five children and five devices start at $44.95 per year.) Qustodio Premium Parental Control 2015 was chosen as an Editor’s Choice by PC Magazine, and industry giants Softonic and Softpedia have approved the app.

3. Net Nanny Family Protect Pass

Your primary concern: filtering web content and establishing Internet time limitations for numerous children’s devices.

ContentWatch Net Nanny 7 with the Family Protection Pass is a useful tool if you have numerous children and gadgets to keep track of. This software can be installed on as many as ten different PC, Mac, or Android devices (note: the software is not supported by Windows XP, and you need to purchase a separate product for Net Nanny to work on iOS devices).

The software lets you create separate profiles/log-ins for each of your children and automatically filters web content based on whether they are a child, pre-teen, teen, or adult. It allows you to “mask” profanity on online pages, which can be beneficial if your child needs to read a news story for school, but the comments section is filled with swear words. You may easily prevent Web access during homework time or bedtime by using a weekly grid divided into 30-minute time chunks to create Internet usage allowances for each child. The Family Protection Pass also includes a free one-year license for Net Nanny Social ($19.99 value), which allows you to keep track of your child’s online activities. ContentWatch Net Nanny 7 was named an Editor’s Pick for parental control software by PC Magazine.

Passes for Net Nanny Family Protect are available for purchase.

4. MamaBear

Your primary concern: the safety of your social media accounts and the tracking of your location.

This app includes a number of useful features, including social media monitoring, location tracking, and notifications. It has a reputation for being a worry-free, all-in-one app. Social media monitoring is one of the most useful tools. MamaBear lets you monitor Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook activity to notice when users post new tags, check-ins, or upload photos. You can also be notified when inappropriate language or indicators of bullying are published to their profiles by creating a restricted keywords list. You can also get alerts if your adolescent goes over your set speed limit. There are a variety of plans to choose from, including one that is free. MamaBear was named “Best Parenting App” at the 2017 Mumii Family Awards.

5. Screen Time

Your primary concern: The amount of time your children spend in front of their screens.

Outside of their devices, Screen Time is dedicated to letting kids be kids and exploring the realm of childhood. Screen Time allows parents to keep track of how much time their children spend on their mobile devices from afar. You may use Screen Time to set daily time limits, assign schoolwork to your children, track which apps they use the most, etc. Which feature is our personal favorite? Instant Pause allows parents to pause their children’s devices at any time. The 2019 National Parenting Product Awards have named the Screen Time Parental Control App a winner.

6. YouTube Kids

Your primary concern: Finding kid-friendly YouTube videos and blocking adverts and links

Videos of animals! Demonstrations of skateboarding Cartoons from the past! YouTube is a well-known source of free entertainment for youngsters, but it doesn’t always feel safe. Pop-up advertising and links to “similar” videos (perhaps with pornographic content) can detract from the enjoyment of this free entertainment haven. That’s why YouTube launched YouTube Kids, a whitelisted version of the app with solely kid-friendly material. There are also a number of parental controls available, allowing you to adapt the experience to your family’s specific needs. For example, you may create personalized kid accounts, restrict channels or videos, keep track of their viewing history, enable or disable search, set a timer to limit kids’ screen time, report videos, etc.

7. Bouncie

Your primary concern: the safety of your teen while driving.

Bouncie is an app and an OBD-connected car experience to prevent distracted driving by delivering you real-time notifications when your child engages in unsafe conduct. The app, for example, notifies you if your child exceeds a speed restriction you set, engages in forceful braking, alerts you to their whereabouts when driving and when parked, and much more.

8. RespondASAP

Your primary concern: Safety of your teen while driving.

Bouncie is an app and an OBD-connected car experience designed to prevent distracted driving by delivering you real-time notifications when your child engages in unsafe conduct. The app, for example, notifies you if your child exceeds a speed restriction you set, engages in forceful braking, alerts you to their whereabouts when driving and when parked, and much more.

9. RespondASAP

Your primary concern: Your Child is ignoring your phone calls.

When your youngster ignores your texts and phone calls, you may want to deliver a strong message. By taking over the child’s screen and generating an alarm, RespondASAP freezes the child’s phone. In order to unlock their phone, the child must call their parent again. It’s a better option than taking away your child’s phone because he’ll still be able to contact you or 911 in an emergency even if his phone is locked. Currently, the software is only available on Android devices, but it will soon be available on iPhones.

10. Bark

Your primary concern: Cyberbullying and internet safety monitoring

According to their Cyberbully Prevention page, Bark analyzes all of your children’s online activity to help detect cyberbullying, taking into account context and an individual’s digital history to assess actual dangers. They keep track of over 30+ of the most popular apps and social media sites. We provide action-based recommendations to parents and children of victims and bullies who utilize Bark. The solution is often as simple as blocking the bully online. In some cases, the abuse is severe enough that you should begin documenting it in case legal action is required. Bark boasts that it has assisted in preventing 16 school shootings and has spotted 124,000 severe self-harm scenarios.

11. Checky

Your primary concern: Help your child become less addicted of their smartphone.

Teenagers are smartphone addicts. You won’t be able to cure your child’s fixation entirely, but you can assist her in finding a better balance. Checky is a free app that keeps track of how many times a user checks their phone throughout the day.

You can see how “checky” you were today compared to yesterday, or share and compare your numbers with your friends and family. Moment (for iPhone) and Break Free (also for Android and iOS) are two comparable apps intended to encourage better smartphone habits.

12. Google Family Link

Your primary concern: You want to use one app to establish time limits, monitor screen time usage, and track your child’s location.

Google Family Link is an all-in-one app that lets parents monitor their children’s online activity, approve or block content from being viewed, manage in-app purchases (because you don’t want your five-year-old “accidentally” purchasing pricey upgrades and add-ons), and track their location when they take their device to school, the park, the mall, or anywhere else. This program is much more than just a simple blocker; it also allows you to lock your Android phone or other devices remotely.

13. Kaspersky Safe Kids

Your primary concern: Screen time limitations, safe surfing, and your child’s whereabouts.

How much screen time does your child get per day, in minutes or hours? You may set time limits with Kaspersky Safe Kids and prevent your child from using their smartphone or tablet at specific periods of the day. This program also allows you to ban adult content from view, create a custom list of sites or applications you trust, check your child’s YouTube search history, and screen time management. As if a web filter wasn’t enough, this program also has a GPS tracking feature that allows you to locate your child.

14. FamilyTime

Your primary concern: Bedtime and homework time have turned into screen time, which you despise.

Has family time become a distant memory? Family dinners or quick conversations with your child are disrupted by your child’s new Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or another device. You can also establish time limits for device use and phone conversations with the FamilyTime app! When your child needs to concentrate on academics, the Bed Time features limit screen time during sleep hours, and the Homework Time function locks the screen. This program also has a geofencing feature and can ban adult content and social media applications. It can even find your child (while they’re on their device).

15. Norton Family Parental Control App

Your primary concern: Teaching your child safe online habits and assisting them in finding a screen-time balance.

You may be familiar with Norton because of its anti-virus software. However, this business also developed an app that allows parents to keep track of their children’s screen time, online content, and more! Parents can set Internet access limitations, receive weekly or monthly reports detailing their child’s screen usage, use a geofencing feature to set physical distance boundaries, and supervise web searches. This app is available on the App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android devices.

16. OurPact

Your primary concern: Your child isn’t self-regulating their screen time, and you’re not sure if you can always trust the websites they visit.

OurPact allows you to schedule and limits your screen time. This allows you to prevent your child from using their phone or tablet during school hours, homework, or family gatherings. You can also remotely ban content and give access to sites you trust. You can upgrade to the premium option if you want to use these features. If you have more than one smartphone or tablet in your household, OurPact Premium allows you to manage up to 20 devices and personalize the web filter and other settings for each one.

How to Track/Monitor Your Kids Portable Devices

Parental supervision extends beyond setting screen time restrictions, managing screen time, and ensuring your child’s safety on Snapchat. It also includes using your smartphone’s GPS or particular apps to follow your younger children’s movements. For example, you may track your child’s phone position if they walk home alone or take the bus to an empty residence. Likewise, you can check-in if they fail to text you that they’ve arrived home safely.

Step 1: On their Android phone, set up a Gmail account for them with their correct age and your Email address as the parent.

Step 2: On your phone, download and install any of the Applications Above from the Google Play Store or App Store.

Step 3: Connect their email address to Any of the Application Above.

Step 4. Go to their phone’s restore factory and factory reset their Android device if they already have one, then login with their own Gmail account (newly created account) linked to the Application.

Step 5. If you’re activating a new device, make sure you’re using their freshly formed Gmail account.

Step 6. As soon as you complete steps 4 and 5 above, your phone will receive a notice allowing you to activate the device. This is the start of you controlling the smartphone from anywhere.

Step 7: They will never have access to any adult content on their phone.

Step 8: They won’t be able to install anything without your permission.

Step 9: You can remotely lock the device.

Step 10: You can set a start and end time for their device’s usage; if you don’t turn it off, the phone will automatically lock when that time arrives.

Step 11: They will not be able to view adult content on YouTube.

Step 12: There’s also YouKids, which is YouTube for kids. I recommend removing the regular YouTube and replacing it with YKids.

Step 13: Using your Google Family Link, you can see how much time they spent on each app or page and warn them if necessary.

Step 14: You’ll be able to see all of the app’s primary features.

You can also use a couple of the app’s functions to find out where your child is. Follow these steps to use Family Sharing to track your child’s location.

Conclusion

We believe that the above guidelines have provided you with the necessary best ways to Monitor Your Kids Portable Devices and that this methodology has been the best so far because of the way it allows you to monitor your children’s daily activities using your phone to control everything they do with or without their knowledge. Dear Parents, Our children’s futures are essential, and it is your responsibility to protect and safeguard them by ensuring that they use their phones for educational and other appropriate purposes.

Use the methods outlined above to ensure that your children’s morality is protected from the misuse of android devices and assist them in accepting their correct duties. This post will show you how to monitor your children’s portable Android devices and provide you with step-by-step instructions to help you.

How To Monitor Your Kids Portable Devices in 2022