Did you know that these days, 82% of children are exposed to lots of inappropriate content online by age 11? The internet can be a free territory that arouses curiosity among all age groups. This “unknown land” for children and adolescents can quickly instill fear among their parents.
Young people’s natural curiosity, combined with a lack of maturity and possible naivety about the full world, can be the fuel that fires problems in the virtual world. The main concern of parents is the action of cybercriminals who use the internet strategically to capture their victims.
Best Parental Control For Mac
Mobicip for Mac. Mobicip is a fantastic parental control software that allows limiting kids’ screen time and preventing screen addiction. The app lets you ensure your kids are safe online and lets you block unwanted websites with unhealthy and mature content. Free vs Paid Parental Control Software for Mac When you are looking for the best Mac parental control app, price is one of the most important considerations. Many are on a budget, and hence, a free app is a better option.
The authoritative mainstream media regularly discusses different types of children monitoring software explicitly created to manage the content of websites your child may prefer. At the same time, you can block porn,block specific Youtube channels or any other potentially harmful information or communication on his/her computer or iOS/Android mobile devices. It can be beneficial, and these days, it is possible for parents to download many types of computer monitoring software for parents for free. Isn’t now the right time to start acting and not just keep on observing “the internet safety” for your kids?
Useful tips on how you can protect your children
Having undertaken some thorough research, we have created a shortlist of tips for parents who want to protect their loved ones online:
- Have a decent conversation. Excellent communication is essential if you want to connect with your children finally.
- Be on the same wavelength as their children. So join the same social networks, get to know their interests, the channels they watch. Take time out of your day to surf the internet together to let them show you what they like to access.
- Rely on the free parental control software to organize your children’s digital routine on their cell phones.
What is the best free parental control software, you might ask? There is no ultimate solution. We’ll familiarize you with the best free monitoring apps for each mobile platform (iOS/Android), which were designed to make your life much more comfortable. All of them have a free trial option that allows you to make a wise decision about which internet parental control software works for you.
The list of the best free parental control software for any device
The best three apps we have found so far are:
- mSpy(updated: 30-days refund policy) — the best parental control app for iPhone.
- Qustodio(free 3-days trial version) — a perfect choice for Android.
- Kaspersky Safe Kids(free 7-days trial) — worth your attention as a free parental control software for Windows and as the best internet filter.
If you are a young parent, it’s obvious you will be concerned about your children’s social activity. Keeping an eye on your children surfing the web was much more comfortable when they were confined to a single computer in the living room. Most network browsing and online activities take place on smartphones and other mobile devices. They make monitoring your children’s online presence and his/her protection much more complicated. That’s why it’s vital to choose the right free child protection software to put set time limits, block apps, screen time spent on social media platforms.
mSpy: Parental control software for iPhone
The popular parental control software for the iPhone is mSpy, which tracks everything kids do virtually via their phones. It lets parents review and filter their iPhones all at any time.
The app offers to track a cell phone location without them knowing, call logs, tracking text messages, emails, browsing history, and hacking social media networks like Instagram. You can even view new address book entries, and the app also allows you to lock a device remotely.
Once installed, mSpy runs discreetly in the background, hidden from the phone user. It doesn’t require any particular setting, which is why it’s perfect for smart teens who want to subvert monitoring apps. Plus, you can use this spyware for iPhone without jailbreaking. This parental control program is compatible both on Android/iOS devices.
Qustodio: Best free parental control software for Android
The best free parental control app for Android Qustodio offers many of the same features as other applications in this list, but its time-limiting options help it stand out. This best parental control software for Android version allows you to:
- read texts and block any texts coming from specific numbers;
- monitor certain social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for cyberbullying and inappropriate behavior;
- set time limits for applications or an entire device; and
- press a panic button that can send an emergency text to pre-selected contacts.
Use Kaspersky Safe Kids for PC
Kaspersky Safe Kids tool works both on smartphones and PC, offers an easy way to support and protect your children using any internet browser installed on the Windows device.
Main features of the best free parental control software for pc:
- You can specify time limits for device use or select specific times on certain days of the week when the child is allowed to stay online;
- Kaspersky’s solution restricts the installation or use of potentially dangerous apps where they contain scenes of violence.
- To prevent a child from encountering undesirable content on the internet, Kaspersky Safe Kids filters the sites by category: adult content, profanity, drug information, etc.;
- It is possible to exclude sites from the search results of popular search engines;
- Parents can see in their My Kaspersky account a summary of their child’s activity on Facebook;
- Location tracker — this free parental control software function allows parents to know where their child is at a particular time.
Bottom line
All the parental control services described above offer free and paid versions that users can choose from. In the paid version, there are many essential functions added, for example, time limits, accessing your child’s location in real-time, notifications of installed applications, usage reports, application lock, etc.
With these functions, parents can set their child’s bedtime, time to study, family talk time, and block certain websites during school time. So remember that it’s wiser to save your child than save 9$!
We have also compiled a list of Top 10 Best Parental Control Software for Android and iPhone/iOS, make sure to check those out too.
Free Mac Parental Control Software For Teens
On this page you can see a comparison between free programs. To compare free and paid programs, to read about what to look for at a parental monitoring software go to this page.
There are very good and free programs made for parents who want to control the children when they are surfing the internet, by preventing the access to different categories of websites (adult, gambling, racism etc.).
Qustodio is a free application available for different devices and once is installed, you will start to receive reports in your online account. The program can block the access to different categories of websites, you can view a list with programs used and visited websites, then take action. From your online dashboard, you can block or allow entire categories with websites with a single click. Also, you can set time limits for internet access.
They have a premium version for geolocation and calls/SMS tracking, useful for mobile devices.
Norton Family is similar with Qustodio regarding free features. It blocks instantly the access to forbidden categories of websites, is displays reports with visited websites and keywords used in search engines. You can manage the settings and view reports from anywhere, through your online account.
Also, they have a premium version to track location, calls and SMS on mobile devices.
Kurupira Web Filter is a completely free program, without any paid upgrades, but you can access it and manage settings only on the device where is installed. Is focused to block the access to adult websites, but you can add your own URLs. It displays detailed charts and reports. You can block the access to applications and set time limits for the internet access.
K9 Web Protection is also a free program able to block different categories of websites. is available for multiple devices and you can manage settings only from the device where is installed.