Lecture Notes: Parental Control Software and Applications

Introduction

Speaker: Sarah Kimmel, IT Manager with 19 years experience
Focus: Helping families manage technology for safety and effective use through FamilyTechZone.com

Monitoring
- Insight into device activities: messages, browsing history, YouTube history
- Notifies or reports concerning activities
Filtering
- Protects from inappropriate online content
- Various filters can be applied
Management (Control)
- Limits on app downloads, usage time, and specific app activities

Android vs iOS
- Android recommended for children due to better monitoring capabilities
- iOS offers limited monitoring due to privacy restrictions
- Managing an iOS device with Android is difficult

Apple Devices: Screen Time
- Requires family sharing setup
- Includes app approval and usage limits
Android Devices: Google Family Link
- Parent and child app versions
- Management of apps and safe search settings
- Notifications about app installations
- Limitations for children over 13 due to COPPA

Bark
- Focus on monitoring (social media, messages)
- Management via VPN, but conflicts with other VPNs
- Cost: ~$100/year with discount available
Boomerang Parental Controls
- Detailed YouTube watch history, GPS tracking
- Safe mode shutdown on Samsung devices
- Least expensive: $30/year for 10 devices
OurPact
- Screenshots for monitoring, especially useful on iOS
- Cost: $10/month for 20 devices
Custodio
- Covers various devices (Windows, Chromebook)
- Cost: $55/year for 5 devices
MM Guardian
- Similar features, higher cost: $70/year for 5 devices

Circle
- Formerly affiliated with Disney, slows network speed
- Requires additional fees for features
Bark Home
- Integrates with Bark software for network management
Griffin Router
- Built-in parental controls, prevents circumvention
- Blocks devices until manually approved