The Best Parental Control Apps & Phones

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The question we are most often asked by parents — What apps or devices do we recommend for online safety?

The answer? From our experience, we primarily recommend Qustodio as a third-party safety app. If you don’t want to pay for a service and you only want to use native OS features on a typical smartphone, then go with Apple’s Screen Time on an iPhone. From our research, the Bark Phone is a great option for online safety software and hardware merged into one device.

Before we jump into the “why” behind these recommendations, let me take a moment to offer four perspectives on online safety apps and devices.

First, we know why they’re called “parental control” apps, but if “control” is the goal, parents have already lost. Why? Because “control” is an illusion of the online world. Have you ever lost track of time scrolling? Have you binged shows because the next episode autoplays? Have you clicked on a news link because the source left out a key piece of information in the headline? It’s difficult to find anything online that isn’t designed to capture our attention and keep our eyes glued to screens as long as possible. Our responsibility as parents is not limited to online safety, but also limiting the influence of platforms and advertisers and ultimately... preparing kids and teens for a lifetime of digital communication. This is the heart of Driver’s Training for the Online World.

• Protect kids and teens from online harm.

• Reclaim humanity, privacy, and autonomy.

• Retain integrity and transparency.

• Prepare kids and teens for a lifetime of digital communication.

Tech companies attempt to partner with parents to control kids and teens. We want to partner parents with kids and teens to control tech companies. The end goal is never control. It’s autonomy... with collaboration that moves kids and teens toward independence in adulthood... not just from their parents, but from the apps and devices to which we all too often cede our autonomy. (We have an entire module on the illusion of control and principle lens of autonomy in our training, be sure to check it out!)

Second, tech is constantly changing, and governments and online safety tools can hardly keep up. While some countries have hyper-focused on bans keeping teens off of social media, nothing is done to prepare them for when they’re on it. AI changes rapidly and is now built into search engines, social media apps, and companion chatbots. And a lot of times gaming is overlooked. Because the landscape shifts so fast, even with the best apps or tools in place, we have to stay vigilant and informed (don’t forget to subscribe), keep tabs on devices, and maintain open, honest communication with our kids and teens.

Third, while the online world is filled with harmful content and you absolutely need to set something in place for online safety, you cannot rely on it. We’ve read hundreds of reviews and talked to many families and there is no perfect solution. If you’re looking for a set-it-and-forget-it solution or absolute control... you are out of luck. Disappointment will be the only certainty. To illustrate, a Common Sense Media report from 2023 found that 73% of teens have seen online pornography by the age of 17, and 58% stumbled upon it accidentally. A staggering 15% reported seeing it by age 10 or younger. Some experts would say, it’s likely not a question of if, but when. Think about it. Even if we removed all devices from our homes, it’s likely they will stumble upon it outside the home. We’re surrounded by devices. Parents need to have ongoing age-appropriate conversations about online safety topics like pornography.

Last of all, don’t be hard on yourself or your kids and teens. Safety apps aren’t perfect and neither are families. Not all screen time is created equal. Think quality over quantity, and ask if the screen time is pointing back to offline human communication and connection. That’s why humanity is our foundational principle for navigating the online world. There’s a huge difference between scrolling solo on TikTok for two hours watching strangers versus watching sports or a movie together with friends and family. As parents, staying engaged can be tiring. Sometimes we don’t even live up to our own goals and expectations in our home. Our family isn’t perfect, and we’re not some sort of ideal. We’re in the same boat as you. When we veer off the path of our standards as a family, we lean into grace and course-correct, and you can too. The key is never giving up.

That being said, tech giants have been under the microscope the past couple of years, and many have expanded free native OS safety features for their youngest users like Apple’s Screen Time and Parental Controls, Google’s Family Link, and Microsoft’s Family Safety. They offer a few great foundational features, like shutting off devices at bedtime or blocking app store purchases or downloads. Like we mentioned before, Apple has the best in-device safety features like app blocking and Communication Safety that detects nudity, violence, and gore. Google’s Family Link is stable, but once your child turns 13, Google legally allows them to take over their own account and opt out of your supervision. While these native tools are great basic guardrails, they usually lack the extensive, cross-platform and multi-device features that third-party apps provide.

When choosing an online safety app, these are the eight primary features to look for:

1. Web Filtering, to moderate content and websites

2. Time Management, to track screen time and app usage

3. Remote Access, to change settings from your own device

4. Location Tracking

5. Communication Monitoring, for messages, comments, or AI chats

6. App Blocking

7. Uninstall Protection

8. Cross-Platform Application

When looking for our family and researching the landscape, we consistently see a few standout names: Qustodio, Aura, Mobicip, and Bark. We have used Norton in the past, but we no longer include it because it’s dated and clunky. All of these offer Web Filtering, Remote Access, Location Tracking, and App Blocking. Technically they all have some sort of uninstall protection, though tech-savvy teens can sometimes find workarounds.

Qustodio is our personal recommendation. It’s not perfect, but works across almost everything—Windows, Apple, Android, Kindle—and lets you customize time limitations right down to the specific app.

Aura is great because it’s part of a larger suite of identity theft protection and antivirus software. It even offers voice and chat cyberbullying alerts for PC gaming platforms, which is a huge plus if you have heavy gamers. Aura recently bought Qustodio’s parent company, but they’re still operating as separate services.

Mobicip is built around a unique scheduling feature. It’s cheaper, but has fewer features than competitors.

Bark is less about locking down screen time and much more tailored for monitoring and collaboration. It specializes in scanning texts, emails, and over 30 social media platforms using contextual AI. It alerts parents when it detects potential issues like bullying, mental health issues, or predatory language. It’s great for older teens with more independence, but keep in mind it’s a bit clunky on an iPhone. That’s part of the reason Bark also offers a dedicated smartphone with their software baked into it. Pros? Everything is already set up for parents on the device, and it’s an actual Samsung phone. Cons? You have to pay for and use their cell service. That being said, it stands out from Pinwheel, a phone that lets you use your own carrier, and the Gabb Phone which is more suited for kids than teens.

Maybe you wonder why we haven’t mentioned Covenant Eyes, Bright Canary, or Life360. We see these as niche-based tools that lack the comprehensive features of competitors and fail to fully meet our objectives of online safety, limiting the influence of platforms and advertisers, and preparing kids and teens for a lifetime of digital communication. That is why we ultimately recommend Qustodio.

Look for a how-to breakdown of Qustodio and Apple’s Screen Time and Parental Controls coming soon, and don’t miss out on 25% savings on Driver’s Training for the Online World using the code “GREENLIGHT”. It’s your guide to less screen time and more human connection.