Best of the Best: Parental Control Apps
I know that one thing I worry about with my son, is his curiosity and the height of the phone bill. I know it's fun to dial in whatever you want and see who answers, in the middle of the night. And it's even more fun to call grandma when we're supposed to be sleeping or at school. Though it's not going to make anyone happy, and it will probably just eat away at the phone bill. So when I look for parental control apps, those are two of the major things I look for -
- Call blocking
- Restricted Use (like for bedtime or during school hours)
The other things I look for, are being able to control what my kids are able to access on the internet and being able to block anonymous numbers, as well as being able to restrict how many contacts are in the phone all together. Most of these apps meet just about all my criteria and then some.
What is it that you need from a parental control app?
Cell Control App by Scosche
This is an innovative app that disables the cell phone whenever a car is in motion, using bluetooth technology and a disruptor that you install onto the vehicles OBDII sensor (the brain). The pro's are that once you have the app on the phone and the disruptor installed in the car, you can take a deep breath of relief, knowing that while you're sweet angels might be natural road demons, at least their cell phones won't add to the problem.
You'll really love this apps tamper-proof system that alerts you by text or email if your darling angel tries to remove the disruptor from the car or the app from their phone. It's also not to bad on the wallet, especially in comparison to any collisions that could be caused by distracted driving.
The downside to this system - it only works on cell phones with the apps installed and it doesn't work with iPhone's.
T-Mobile Family Allowances
This is one of my favorite apps from T-Mobile. It allows you to set all sorts of limits on phone usage like: Texts, Calls, Downloads and Internet Access. It lets you find out who's in the phone book and being contacted without having to touch the phone, and even lets you block any phone calls from numbers you haven't approved ahead of time.
Family Allowance is really more of a "phone plan" then an app, but being that it's an installed application on the phone, it still qualifies for this hub, especially since it has all the features we worried yet new age parents want.
Windows Mobile Phone Nanny
It slices! It dices! It does it all!
No really, this app does an awful lot, and is great for any parent who worries about what their kids are up to and who want to take a proactive step at helping them avoid distraction. The Mobile Phone Nanny provides the parent with the capabilities to:
- Block Apps
- Block Calls/Numbers
- Website/Search Filtering and Blocking
- Monitor and Track Exact GPS Location
- Lock The Phone From a Remote Location
- Monitor Calls, Texts, App Usage and Web Use
- Access The Features From Anywhere (Phone or Computer)
- Create time restrictions for use (like during school hours or bedtime)
- Alerts Letting You Know When Your Child Tries to Access Anything You've Restricted, Filtered or Blocked
My Mobile Watchdog
With all the capabilities of the Mobile Nanny, the Watchdog adds the bonus of a backing by the FBI, Law Enforcement and others - who use it to monitor their employee cell phones. On top of all that, you can even try to app free for 7 days on their website.
The Phone Sheriff
This is probably the most popular of the parental control apps out on the market currently. It has all the functionality you need to monitor everything your child does on or with their phone. Just as with the other apps, it's designed to bring parents peace of mind when it comes to their kids safety, education and influence.
