Phone Apps for Online Safety Apple and Android

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1 Phone Apps for Online Safety Apple and Android Safe Eyes Mobile (Mobile App) Control your child's Internet usage while she's on the iphone by blocking questionable sites. This app has YouTube filtering and media player blocking. You can also customize it by choosing from 35 different categories (e.g., nudity, profanity, etc.) to block or allow content. ($19.99; iphone, ipad) Safe Eyes Mobile Mobicip (Mobile App) In 2010 Mobicip was awarded the 2010 Parents' Choice Silver Honors Award for top mobile app for kids. It includes a wide array of parental controls, including category blocking, time limits, Internet activity reports, blocked phrases, and YouTube filtering. There are three restriction levels: The elementary school level blocks social networking, gaming, shopping, entertainment, clothing, and news content. The middle school level blocks online shopping, gambling, dating, liquor, and chat sites. The high school level blocks adult, sexual, weapons, violence, proxy, virus, and hacking sites. ($4.99; iphone, ipad) Mobicip GoGoStat's Parental Guidance (Mobile App) This app lets you see posts from your kids containing drug references and vulgarities, know when they post photos and profile details that should not be public, and check when they add new friends that are out of a predetermined age or geographic range. Parents can also print social media Emergency Reports, developed with the help of law enforcement. (Free; iphone, ipad) GoGoStat's Parental Guidance

2 Net Nanny (Mobile App and Software) Notification monitors send alerts when alarming keywords are used. The best part: You program those words in advance. There is time control, to limit when and for how long kids can access the internet, plus a setup assistant that allows parents to determine which online sites are appropriate by the child's age. A mobile app version is also available for Android phones only. ($39.99 per year for computers; $19.99 per year for one mobile device; $29.98 per year for three mobile devices) Net Nanny Mobile YouDiligence (Software) If your child has a social networking account, monitor his page and track keywords related to bullying, racial slurs, alcohol, cursing, and more. YouDiligence provides a list of 500 dangerous words and phrases that parents can edit, based on their values. Reports of anything problematic are then viewed via alerts and an online dashboard. ($9.99 per month for one child; $14.00 for the immediate family) YouDiligence SocialShield (Software) Founded by two men who heard their friend's daughter received unwanted attention from a male adult on Facebook, SocialShield monitors social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter) to protect a child's online reputation. By using cloud-based software, it can be accessed anywhere via computer and phone. Reports provide a safety score on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the safest) that is determined by reputation-harming watchwords in posts and discussions, photos, videos, and friends. ($10 per month) SocialShield

3 Find My Kids -- Footprints Ever wish you could know where your child is, all the time? Using GPS in real time,, this app helps you keep track of and automatically locate where your child goes with his phone. If he's traveling alone, you can confirm that he arrived at a specific destination, or if he's meeting up with friends, they can confirm each other's locations. Location info is never shared with anyone else beyond those who have permission to see it, and data is saved for later review. Even though the app is free, parents will need to purchase a subscription for the tracking feature. (Free to download, service requires a monthly fee; iphone, ipad) Download Find My Kids -- Footprints on itunes Family Tracker Don't just track the kids; track the whereabouts of the entire family! This app keeps tabs on anyone you like, but only if the other person accepts the one-time tracking request. The app uses a built-in messaging system, separate from standard text messaging, that allows you to contact family members and receive notifications that they read your messages. You even have the capability to get your kid's attention by setting the device to "play a loud, annoying siren." For each device you wish to track, you'll need to buy the app separately. An optional subscription service is available for you to view and export GPS data from previous days. ($5.99; iphone, ipad, Android) Sex Offenders Search If you just moved to a new neighborhood, or are planning to, you can research any neighborhood with this app. Simply activate your smartphone's GPS and connect to the National Sex Offender

4 Registry to locate registered sex offenders and predators in the area. You can search by name, address, and zip code, and results will be displayed on an interactive map. Click on a location for more details, such as pictures, names, addresses, and a list of offenses. ($1.99; iphone, ipad, Android) Download Sex Offenders Search on itunes Download Sex Offenders Search on Android Market Mobile Guardian (Android, ios) (~$3.66/mo) Mobile Guardian (Android, ios) provides a powerful Web dashboard with a whole suite of parental monitoring tools for tracking your child's smartphone activity. Mobile Guardian offers a Web content filtering system, application blocking, a schedule and timetable system, contacts management and contacts blocking, as well as a GPS tracking and geofencing system so you always know where your child is. The premium service starts at about $4 a month, and features a 7-day free trial for test runs. Qustodio (PC, Android, ios) (Free) Qustodio (PC, Android, ios) is another full featured desktop and mobile monitoring service that parents can use to monitor their children's device use and online activity, with further tools unlocked with a premium subscription. Qustodio's free tier allows users to track web activity and block inappropriate content, as well as set rules for device use and access. Premium subscriptions, starting at $44.95 per year, unlock a more robust toolset, with location tracking, application controls, as well as call monitoring.

5 My Mobile Watchdog (Android, ios) ($4.95/mo) My Mobile Watchdog (Android, ios) offers users with a series of powerful parental controls that allow mom and dad to see phone call logs, read text messages on their childrens' phones, set Web blocking and time blocking, remotely block and grant access to apps, as well as find out where your child is through GPS. My Mobile Watchdog takes pains to indicate that they aren't 'spyware', with the app having no stealth mode, so your kid is also aware that they're being watched. The suite of controls is pretty impressive, and comes with a $4.95 per month subscription fee. Guardian (Android) (Free trial, $3.99/mo) MMGuardian is a parental control app that can locate a kid's phone, monitor text activity and set various use restrictions. The free level allows parents to send an SMS to locate or lock their child's phone, or have it emit a siren alarm. Enhanced features for subscribers allow for time limits (such as locking during school time), call blocking, text monitoring, safe driving controls that prevent texting and calling when on the road, as well as app controls. Notably absent are any internet filters. ParentKit (ios) (Free trial, $24.99/6 mos.) ParentKit provides anxious parents with app access scheduling tools and remote control of their child's smartphone. Parent Kit allows you to schedule access to Safari and other apps, as well as selectively turn off features such as preventing new app installations, in-app purchases, and Game Center access, as well as blocking content such as music and videos based on age ratings. You can set schedules, such as allowing access to Safari during study time, while preventing all app access after lights out. The app is free to try for one month, with subscriptions starting at $24.99 for 6 months.

6 10 Android Parental Control Apps April 30, 2014 Apps Digital Safety 9 Comments I have received a number of requests from parents looking for solutions to make sure their child s Android devices are family-friendly ready and safety-enabled. Unlike ios on Apple mobile devices, Android does not offer any significant parental control capabilities, so thirdparty apps are a must. There are countless apps in the Android marketplace, so selecting the right app for your needs can be overwhelming. The available parental control apps allow parents to filter adult content, restrict app purchases, set limits on usage time, and even monitor calls, texts and web activity. Here s a list of some of the best Android apps for parental controls that the Yoursphere For Parents editorial team has tested and recommend you use: Kids Place: Kids Place is an app launcher that opens a fully customized interface, catered to children with only the apps you select, and options to filter out other apps. It also blocks the installation of apps, in app purchases, and access to the Android marketplace. Both opening and closing the app Kids Place requires a 4 digit passcode, ensuring that your child does not gain free-reign on the device. This app is ideal for younger kids who would likely not need the smartphone functions, and instead, would use the device for educational apps or digital entertainment. Ability to Turn Off In-App Purchasing Yes

7 Ideal for Kids or Teens Kids Free MMGuardian: The MMGuardian app allows parents to set restrictions on app usage, time use, calls/texts, and even prevents texting while driving. This app is much more ideal for a young teen who has their own Android device. Browser Built-In to Filter Content No Time Restrictions Available Yes Prevents Texting While Driving Yes Free 14-day trial: All features of the application are functional Subscription: $3.99 monthly or $34.99 annually Purchase: $49.99 Famingo: Famigo lets the user create a sandbox environment of specific apps and restricts access to the Android store. The app also includes Famigo Wowzer, a browser designed for kids with integrated content filtering. Like Kids Place, this app is ideal for younger kids who would likely not need the smartphone functions of the device, simply educational apps or digital entertainment. Ability to Turn Off In-App Purchasing Yes Ideal for Kids or Teens Kids Free 7-day trial: Full functionality during trial Subscription: $0.99/month, includes child safety lock, kids videos, and kidsafe web browser Plus Subscription: $4.99/month basic features plus additional kids apps

8 and educational games. Net Nanny: Net Nanny allows for browser restrictions, as well as app management, via remote access. Meaning, the app s restrictions can be managed either on the device itself or configured remotely through a computer s web browser. This app is ideal for controlling the content accessed by a mobile device, particularly one in the hands of a teen. Time Restrictions Available Yes Ideal for Kids or Teens Kids Free 14-day trial: Fully protects your Android device Subscription: $12.99/year for one device Funamo: Funamo Parental Controls allows parents to monitor, as well as filter, activity on an Android device. It has a child-safe browser function and can also filter content in other Android browsers. In addition, the app has monitoring capability for texts, calls and usage time. Time Restrictions Available Yes Free 2-day trial: Full functionality of app Purchase: $19.99 Screen Time: Screen Time is an app oriented around setting time limits and monitoring, as well as limiting specific app usage. It has an integrated reward program in which kids can earn usage time by completing tasks such as chores, homework, or musical instrument practice. There is also a partner app that allows parents to manage settings from their own device. Note that this app does not have any content filtering functions, and it is recommended to pair this app with a content filtering browser such as Safe Browser (mentioned

9 below). Time Restrictions Available Yes Free Norton Family: Norton Family allows for monitoring of device browser activity and restriction of inappropriate sites. Additional features are text message monitoring and app restrictions. Feature availability depends on which version of the app you choose. Browser Built-In to Filter Content No (settings apply to most Android browsers) Comes in both free and paid versions. Free: See which websites kids visit and filter inappropriate websites Receive notifications when your kids attempt to violate the content filters Paid: $49.99 Keep an eye on the apps your kids download and block use of specific apps Receive a 90-day history of your child s online activity Get monthly or weekly reports to give you a better understanding of how much time your kids spend on the computer and what they re looking at online Monitor texts sent and received by the device Safe Browser: Safe Browser is a browser app designated to filtering out adult web content and enabling parents to set their own custom lists of restricted websites. This app can be used simultaneously with an app such as ScreenTime, or any parental control app that does not feature a built in browser or filter content accessed by other Android browsers. Adding Apps Controlled by Parent No

10 Ability to Control Access to Marketplace No Free AppLock: Free Although not explicitly categorized as parental control, AppLock allows the user to password protect certain apps, the Android store, and the device s settings. The functionality is similar to the capabilities of ios parental settings. It can also be used to lock a device s calling function to prevent any surprises on your mobile phone bill. Browser Built-In to Filter Content No Toddler Lock: As the title suggests, this app functions as a screen lock for your device while letting your young child doodle creatively on a blank screen drawing board with a variety of colors and shapes. This app will protect your phone from being accidentally unlocked by a younger child but does not filter or restrict any specific apps. Adding Apps Controlled by Parent No Ability to Control Access to Marketplace No Browser Built-In to Filter Content No Ideal for Kids or Teens Toddlers Free As you ve read, these apps vary regarding their capabilities, and as recommended, you may prefer to use a combination of apps for a complete solution. For example, using Safe Browser and Screen Time would be an effective means of controlling content filters as well as usage.

11 These apps will prompt you to create a password/pin to protect the settings, preventing your child from making changes. It is crucial that you make the password/pin something your child will not be able to guess, otherwise the app will no longer be useful. Note that if your child or teen does a factory reset of the device, it will erase all the downloaded apps and the associated restrictions. Although it does seem like an extreme measure simply to remove parental restrictions, be prepared that your child can do this. This is a good time to have an agreement with them so that they understand they will lose their access to the device if they don t follow family rules regarding the responsible and safe use of these fantastic devices. To download these apps, each product title is a hyperlink to the app s page in the Google Play store in your browser. They can also be downloaded by searching the app name in the Google Play store on the device. (ie Search: Screentime to find that particular app) INFORMATION CREDIT TO TOM S GUIDE.