Parenting is much harder than it was just a few decades ago. Modern-day kids now have access to the internet which allows for the access of a wide variety of inappropriate content as well as the ability to meet a large number of people. A child is simply not mature enough to handle all this responsibility on their own. An effective solution to this is cell phone monitoring apps which help give parents the peace of mind that their child is safe and well, while at the same time being able to benefit from the advantages of modern technology. In this article, we have featured the top 10 cell phone monitoring apps for your kids to help you find the best solution for your family.
XNSPY
XNSPY is the most Googled spy app of 2021, and there are good reasons behind it. It has all the stealthy features you would expect from a child monitoring app and more. Xnspy not only lets users record calls on their child’s phone but also allows users to capture the background noise in a child’s vicinity. This can be extremely useful when narrowing down your child’s location. This whole process occurs in the background with only the parents’ knowledge. For this reason, Xnspy comes in handy during an emergency.Â
Pros:
- It offers several features, including phone call and text message tracking and phone recording of several third-party social apps.
- It has 24/7 customer support
- It is available on both iOS and Android
- Xnspy works on both Jailbreak and non-Jailbreak iPhones and rooted and non-rooted Android phones.
Cons:
- You will need physical access to the device you want to monitor.
- Currently, there is no free version of the app for users to try
- The app requires 24 to 48 hours to get live access to users’ info.
Net Nanny
This reassuring sounding software is one of the best options, they have been around since 1996 and are therefore very experienced in this field. Net Nanny offers a large number of different features such as screen time management which tracks the amount of time that your child is using their time, and provides the ability to block the use of the device for certain periods of time such as nighttime. Moreover, NetNanny can block unsuitable apps and also monitor the activity inside apps such as Youtube.
Pros:
- Available for both mobiles, tablets, and computers.
- A trustworthy company that has been in business for a very long time.
- For less than $5 a month you can protect up to 20 devices.
Cons:
- No free version available to try it out.
Qustodio
Qustodio offers a feature that the majority of the other options that we have included in this article do not have. This feature in question is the ability to monitor the SMS and calls of your kids. This allows parents to know who their children are in contact with, which is important to make sure that they are not interacting with anyone who is a bad influence or dangerous. In 2015 it was also voted by PC Magazine as an Editor’s Choice, which means that it is one of the best options out there.
Pros:
- Free version available.
- Extra features that alternatives do not offer.
- Can monitor apps such as Facebook.
Cons:
- To unlock all of the features you need to pay.
RespondASAP
An interesting alternative is RespondASAP, this freeware allows parents to lock their child’s phone when they need to, from the parent’s device. Moreover, as the name of the software suggests it can be used to initiate your offspring to respond much faster to your calls or messages by making an alarm or message pop up on the screen.
Pros:
- Free to use
- Simply user interface so it is suitable for everyone regardless of technical knowledge.
- Even when you have locked your kid’s phone, they can still use it to make emergency calls to the parents or the police.
Cons:
- Advertisements are displayed which may be annoying for some.
- Not a large number of features.
Checky
The main objective of Checky is to help tackle mobile phone addiction. It works in a very simple way by counting all of the times that the device has been used in a day. Furthermore, it offers analytics that allows users to compare how many times they have used their phone compared to previous days.
Pros:
- Available on both iOS and Android devices.
- Very accurate.
- Super simple to use and understand, you just need to leave it running in the background.
Cons:
- Can only be used for analytics.
Screen Time
The appropriately titled Screen Time provides phone monitoring solutions to parents. Apart from the analytical side, parents can also manage all of the apps on their children’s phones. Additionally what your loved one is able to search on the internet can also be controlled by blocking unsuitable search results and websites. Finally, there is GPS tracking, which helps guardians know where their children are every step of the way. The app is also the winner of the 2019 National Parenting Product Awards.
Pros:
- One of the most popular options with over 2 million downloads.
- The innovative ‘Homework & Tasks’ feature allows parents to reward positive behavior such as children doing their homework with extra screen time.
- Your child cannot uninstall Screen Time without authorization from you.
Cons:
- The best-features are not free.
MamaBear
The fifth product that we will discuss in this top 10 cell phone monitoring apps for your kids is MamaBear. MamaBear is another award winner, having won the Best Parenting App award in the Mumii Family Awards of 2017. One of the main selling points is the Social Media Monitoring feature which provides monitoring abilities of social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. As a parent you can monitor an array of different aspects such as what your children are searching, the images they are uploading as well as the comments posted on their profiles. This ensures that your child is in a good state of mind, is not accessing inappropriate content, and that they are also not being bullied.
Pros:
- A free ad-powered version is available.
- The app can even monitor how fast your teenagers are driving in their car, allowing you to track if your child is driving safely.
- A panic alert button sends a signal straight to the mobile phone of the guardians.
Cons:
- More expensive than other similar alternatives.
Kaspersky Safe Kids
A very affordable mobile software developed by the established Kaspersky company which is behind a number of successful digital products. Apart from offering to monitor your child’s phone, it also has a number of other ultra-useful features. One of those is the ‘allowed area’, where parents can set the allowed parameters that your loved one can freely stay in.
Pros:
- The most affordable paid product in this review article.
- No limit on the number of devices that you can install this mobile app on once you buy the yearly subscription. This makes it great for large families.
- Advanced GPS tracking.
Cons:
- Not compatible with Amazon devices.
Mobile Tracker Free
As the name may suggest, Mobile Tracker Free is free. This is great as allows you to first try out and see whether cell phone monitoring apps are for you and your family. Later on, if you wish to, you could always upgrade to a more advanced paid version. However, do not worry as Mobile Tracker Free is a great starting point. It offers a surprisingly huge array of sophisticated features such as remote control, social network monitoring, and GPS location analysis to name just a few.
Pros:
- Free to use with no hidden charges.
- Simple to use.
- A good amount of features.
Cons:
- Not the best quality option, better alternatives are available.
Symantec Norton Family Premier
Developed by the very influential and reputable Norton company which is best known for its anti-virus systems. You can try out this monitoring tool today by signing up for a 30-day free trial. This software helps to restrict your kids from the unsafe parts of the internet, as well as giving you the option to set limits to when and how the device can be used.
Pros:
- Despite being developed by Norton, it is actually comparatively not that costly.
- Special features optimized for remote learning.
- Ideal for parental supervision.
Cons:
- Not able to monitor Youtube.
SecureTeen Parental Control
SecureTeen Parental control is a prominent parental control software that has been covered in a number of leading news publications such as Yahoo News, PCWorld, and also Newsweek. This versatile app is able to monitor most of the popular messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, Viber, Whatsapp, and Snapchat.
Pros:
- A free trial is available.
- App control gives parent’s the option to decide what apps their children can download.
- Smart web filtering technology that blocks all unsuitable websites.
Cons:
- The ‘Premium Plus’ plan is only available for phones that run with the Android operating system.
Conclusion
We hope that you have enjoyed this article about the Top 10 Cell Phone Monitoring Apps for Your Kids and that we have helped you in your quest to find the right choice for your family. Making sure that your loved ones are safe requires a lot of work, and admittedly an app will not resolve all of the issues but it is still a very effective way to increase their wellbeing in the digital era.
