As a parent, you must protect your children from the hidden (and unhidden) dangers of the world. Now that your teens and tweens have access to smart devices, they are at greater risk of being exposed to the harsh realities of life.
Without proper supervision, a smartphone or tablet can allow your child to connect with strangers, learn obscene behaviors, and engage in other horrible behaviors.
However, this doesn’t mean you have to limit your child’s smartphone use. Instead, you can monitor and limit their activities. Here are five apps you can secretly use to monitor your kids’ Internet usage.
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Mobicip – Top spy apps
The Mobicip app comes with all the features a parent could want to ensure the safety of their children’s online activities. It allows you to collect a wide range of information about device usage.
For example, you can block websites and apps and get notifications whenever your kids try to access them. Plus, it will let you know when they’re trying to find what you’ve filtered out. You can block websites and apps based on categories (including over 30) or you can block specific apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Snapchat, etc.).
If you want to allow your child to text or chat, you can set this up so that both sides of the conversation are captured. So you don’t have to sit through countless texts every week, you can create alerts for phrases, such as “don’t say” or “sneak out”.
The downside of this app is that you only get notifications via portal or email (no text). Plus, you can set up the app on five different devices and don’t need to root or jailbreak them.
Also, it costs $50/year, which is cheaper than many other options with a monthly plan.
mSpy – Spy app for remote access
Teens will be teenagers – when they try to do something weird, you have tools like mSpy to find out where they are. Once you download mSpy to your child’s phone, you’ll be able to track your child’s Internet usage and other activities.
For example, you will be able to see if they are where they say they are. Also, you can track their emails, text messages and calls. It also comes with a keylogger to keep track of what your kids are typing for friends or on the web.
If your kids have a camera on their phone (which they are capable of), you can browse through their photos (right from your dashboard). Speaking of pictures, you can follow their social media accounts, including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
You can use this app on iOS and Android devices. However, you will need to jailbreak certain phones. You can expect to pay less than $20/month for mSpy.
Qustodio – Cheaper spy apps
You love what spy apps can do for your parenting – but you’re not too worried about the price. If that’s the case, you can choose Qustodio. This comes with three different plans, starting at $4.58/month for the mini plan ($55 yearly).
With this option, you can protect up to five devices. As for what you can do with it – you can:
- Filter content by category
- Limit when your child can use the phone
- Limit the time your child can access the web
- Monitor chats and text messaging apps
- Get notifications for “red flag” keyword phrases
- Save chat logs
Then one of its best features is the panic button. This allows your child to click a button to instantly notify you when they get stuck or get lost.
Hoverwatch – Monitor and record everything
Maybe you have a problem child who is always looking for a way to get in trouble. If that’s the case, then you need Hoverwatch. With this app you will be able to record phone calls, text messages and media they receive or share.
You can then also track your kids’ Internet usage – including what they’re doing on social apps like Facebook, Skype, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp. Of course, you can do all this without your kids knowing. Then, to get started, you can access their phone’s contact list, notes, and calendar entries.
There are three plans to choose from, the cheapest one starting at $25/month. You can also choose to pay quarterly or annually. You can install this app on any Android, iOS or Windows device. Also, no need to root or jailbreak the device.
Cons – no keylog or screenshots. Some people also complain that internet filters don’t work well on mobile devices.
FlexiSpy – The Spy App Powerhouse
You don’t want to just track your kid’s smartphone. You also want to know what they’re doing on their laptops and tablets. With FlexiSpy, you can monitor activities on all devices. It works on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. So what can it do?
You can use it to record and listen to phone calls. Yes, you can make super spy and intercept calls. Plus, the app is completely hidden as it records all their keystrokes and logs.
It also comes with over 150 features including:
- Remote access to cameras and video recorders
- Monitor WhatsApp and other social/messaging activities
- Turn on your device’s microphone to hear what’s going on
- Record VoIP Calls (Skype, Viber, etc.)
Since this is a powerful tool, you can expect to get paid accordingly. Prices start at $68/month for premium, or you can buy it all for $199/quarter. This will give you all the features, including recording all audio streams.
Always know what your kids are doing
Your children are curious creatures – this can be a good thing. However, this can often lead to troublesome situations. So to prevent your kids from getting too deep, you can restrict their access and monitor their activities.
You’ll thank yourself later when you keep your child out of trouble. So check out these tools to make sure your kids stay safe, whether they’re at home or not!
