The 5 Best Phone Monitoring Apps for Tracking Kids

In This Article +

You know when your child says “I’m not doing anything wrong” but you are not sure if they are telling the truth? That’s where monitoring apps come in.

Monitoring apps allow parents to remotely access their children’s phone activity, which makes it easier for them to set boundaries and monitor app usage. With these apps, you can keep an eye on what your kids do online – from social media posts to text messages and more!

What is a phone monitoring app?

A monitoring app is an app that can be downloaded to a phone or tablet. The monitoring app will then show you what the phone user’s been doing on their phone. They’re often used by parents concerned about what their kids are up to on their phones.

A monitoring app can come in handy if you want to monitor someone’s phone without physically being present with them.

Monitoring apps also give you some peace of mind knowing your child is safe while using the device. However, some people believe that monitoring apps can lead to a sense of mistrust between parent and child.

Monitoring apps may hinder the development of independence and autonomy among children, which they might need in adulthood. In addition, there are legitimate concerns that monitoring apps could be used for spying and invading the privacy of your child.

Why do you need a monitoring app

The best reason to use a monitoring application is to keep up with what your kids are doing online. With these apps, you can access your child’s activity remotely and set boundaries for their phone usage.

You don’t want them wasting their time on games or social media when there’s homework to be done, so they must know they’re being watched.

“Monitoring your child’s activities doesn’t have to be labor-intensive. To make it easier, the best monitoring apps are available online, giving you more time to spend with your family.”

We can keep children safer because we know what they are doing on the internet.

Monitoring their activities allows us to see if they are being bullied or texted by someone that’s not appropriate for them to talk to. Tracking their phone also lets us supervise what they’re doing while they’re out of our sight.

How to choose the right monitoring app for your needs

To find the best app for you, first ask yourself a few questions about what your needs are, and what you want to monitor.

Do you want to know everything they’re doing on their phone? Some monitoring apps will let you see your child’s activity on their phone as it happens. Some have features that allow you to review deleted messages or photos. If all of these features sound like too much, then maybe just location tracking is enough.

Next, think about how much online time will work for your child’s age group. A 6-year-old may need more “screen time” than a 12-year-old.

It’s also important to check with the app about what services are free with their app, and what services they charge for. Most apps offer a free trial or demo of their service. Many also offer discounts if you buy multiple months at one time.

Lastly, it’s not just about finding the best monitoring app; you should be aware of how your child is using their phone as well.

Are they on social media sites like Facebook and Snapchat? Do they spend most of their time on YouTube? If so, an app that only monitors text messaging may be useless to you.

5 best apps for monitoring kids

There are many options for monitoring anyone’s phones or tablets. The free spy apps can be found on the market, which allows parents to monitor their children’s devices remotely.

Some of these apps allow you to see your child’s activity on their phone as it happens, like deleted messages and photos. But some parents may want to limit screen time or set boundaries for phone usage. Keep reading for 5 top options that offer features like limiting screen time and setting boundaries for phone usage, as well as what features they offer at no cost!

NEXSPY

Nexspy is one of the best parental monitoring apps that has been designed to be user-friendly and compatible with various smartphones. It has been built to help you monitor your child’s phone when they are in danger of meeting people who could be harmful. With Nexspy, you can monitor all activity on the target device such as messages, photos, social media posts, and more. You also can track GPS location and listen in to conversations remotely.

Nexspy is an app that has been designed to be user-friendly and compatible with various smartphones. It has been built to help you monitor your child’s phone when they are in danger of meeting people who could be harmful. With Nexspy, you can monitor all activity on the target device such as messages, photos, social media posts, and more. The features of this app include:

You can monitor messages sent or received from specific contacts
You can track the location of the target device using GPS
You can view photos from the camera on the phone remotely
Track the browsing history of the target device

Nexspy provides a free trial to customers to access the app without having to make any investments. Nexspy is available both for Android and iOS. Nexspy has an easy installation that only takes about 1 minute. Customers can also choose between two plans- Premium or Advanced- to suit their preferred needs.

mSpy

mSpy is a monitoring app that provides remote, unrestricted online access to your children’s mobile. In addition, the app includes a variety of features to ensure you have peace of mind knowing your kids are safe. For example, mSpy lets you watch live video streams from a mobile device and blocks websites from being accessed. You can also monitor your child’s text messages and see their emails , including those they send and receive.

With the help of mSpy, you’ll be able to:

Track texts and multimedia messages. You can also see which apps they’re using and their internet usage, including both websites, visited and browsing histories.

Track live videos. Whenever your child is using their device, you can watch a live video stream and even speak with them through the app’s chat feature.

Block access to specific websites or app categories. You can also time limits on how long they can use these various features as well as set parameters to restrict content based on different maturity levels. These options are very useful for limiting screen time as well as making sure they’re not getting into any questionable material online.

View photos. You can check out photos they’ve taken with their own device or any other images that may have been shared with them via text message.

Monitor phone calls. Can your child phone? Check up on who they’re talking to and how long the call is.

Check emails. If you don’t want them to have access to their email, you can monitor emails they receive and send through the app.

See social media use. Are they spending time on Facebook or Twitter when they should be studying? With mSpy, you won’t have to worry about it anymore!

mSpy is available in two different versions that vary in cost. If your child is using an Android phone, the app is priced based on how many features you want to monitor. If they’re using an iPhone, the app comes with the same setlist of features and costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year.

Bark App

The Bark App for Parents is a free app available to users on both iOS and Android. The app allows parents to keep tabs on their kids throughout the day and gives them insight into their children’s phone use and what they’re up to. You can also block certain apps or content from your child’s phone remotely through the app.

Read more: How to Hack an iPhone?

With the help of Bark, you’ll be able to:

Set up schedules for internet usage. Just like adults, children mustn’t overdo it when using digital devices. With this in mind, you can specify hours when they’ll be allowed access and restrict this time so it doesn’t continue well past bedtime.

Limit texts and notifications. The app allows you to block texts from being sent to their phone or have certain alerts turned off at night so your child can sleep better.

View local usage. You’ll be able to check up on where they are and how long they’ve been there with this handy feature.

Block apps. With Bark, you can remotely restrict access to your child’s favorite apps. This is a useful feature if their gaming or social media habits become an issue.

View internet activity. You’ll be able to look at the websites your kids have been visiting and their browsing history through this helpful app.

Bark also provides you with a 24/7 support line in case you run into any issues or have questions. Best of all, Bark does not keep any record of the information they collect from your child’s phone and completely anonymizes everything that is collected, so you don’t have to worry about their privacy being compromised in any way.

Qustodio

Qustodio is mobile monitoring and parental control software for Android and iOS devices. It offers a range of features to help parents protect their children online, such as:

Real-time monitoring of texts, GPS location, and web browsing.

Unlimited access to your child’s device camera and microphone.

Reviews of text messages coming in and going out.

Monitoring of apps installed on their devices such as social networks and gaming platforms.

Control over who they can contact or call, including setting up individual numbers or blocking international numbers.

Content filters allow you to set the maturity levels your children are exposed to when using internet services like YouTube, Facebook, and other websites.

It also offers an Android widget that shows a child’s location and lets you block internet access.

Qustodio has a free version for those who want basic monitoring but does offer additional features with the option to upgrade depending on your needs. The premium version includes activity reports, password control, geofencing and time restrictions to name a few.

Famisafe

Famisafe provides a range of features to give parents peace of mind in this digital age. With a complete family package, you’ll be able to:

Monitor your teenager’s location, calls, and texts from the app or browser at any time.

Use chat filters that allow you to control what conversations they can have with other people. Block specific words and even words in the middle of a sentence if you prefer.

Restrict their access to apps including YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat, but also games such as Fortnite or Minecraft. You’ll have the power to restrict their account so they don’t have any fun!

Famisafe is available in a free version for households with one child under 18. The premium version, however, offers features that are not available with the free plan. For example, you’ll be able to block certain words or letters from being used during chats or phone calls. You’ll also be able to monitor children and chat with them through the app and browser.

Some helpful tips on how to choose the right one for you

So how do you know which one is the best app for you? Take a look at these tips before choosing an app:

Is the app free? Some of the best apps are free, but some include additional features if you choose to upgrade.

What are their pros and cons? The app with the most positive reviews may not be the right one for your family depending on your needs. Read through each description before downloading or installing it onto your child’s phone.

Are there limits on what they can do? If you want to limit their time online or restrict certain apps, be sure that this feature is offered by the monitoring app.

How involved will you need to be in this process? If so desired, is there a way for parents to monitor their kids’ phones? Some apps, such as Famisafe offer parental control features so you’ll never have to physically touch your child’s phone again.

Is monitoring anonymous? While some apps, such as Bark do not keep records of the information they collect from your child’s phone and anonymize everything they do, other apps may keep their information on file. Famisafe, for instance, uses your child’s phone to track texts and calls using the device’s phone number.

Does it work on Android and iOS devices? If the phones in your household use different operating systems, make sure there is an option for you.

These apps may be expensive depending on what features and services they offer, but if you’re looking for a safe and reliable way to monitor your child’s activity, these apps will be well worth it. With the right monitoring app, you’ll be able to keep tabs on what they do online and set specific boundaries for their phone usage.

These 5 apps have proven to be helpful when tracking a child’s devices. What are some of your favorite monitoring apps? Let us know in the comments below.