Number of devices: 5 to 20 All Rights Reserved. Norton Family Premier ($49. North America: 5am-8pm PT Europe: 9:00-17:00 CET Australia: 9:00-19:00 AEST The good news, however, is that all the plans have premium features. Kids can tap the Go Back button to return to the home screen. Net Nanny parental control app doesn't offer any free version. Net Nanny's app blocking worked as advertised during testing. But it is a handy option for either scrolling through the day to see if anything warrants your attention or to just take a quick glance to see what's happening right now. To get started with Net Nanny, you first need to sign up for an account, a process that requires an email address and payment information. Net Nanny VS. Qustodio | Parental Control Now! Like some other parental-control providers, Net Nanny uses a two-app system to separate out the child app that typically gets downvoted by children in app stores. Net Nanny is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Fire OS (Kindle) devices, which is standard for the category. If you try to launch an app, while your device is paused, a large Net Nanny Window pops up and prevents you from using it. Norton Family Premier ($49.99 per year) and Kaspersky Safe Kids ($14.99 per year) offer the best value, since they can monitor an unlimited number of devices. You can choose to get alerts upon your child's arrival and departure, as well as to expand the reporting settings to all the monitored devices in your family. This worked as intended for the most part, with Net Nanny blocking access to all those sites that involved those terms. Net Nanny did not record our searches when we used the mobile Firefox Focus app, but it did lock Safe Search settings. Circle's joint hardware and software solution is easy to set up and a quality solution for parents who want to monitor their children's internet activity. Essentially, some URLs it picks up are not true web pages and may just carry advertising data or be used for tracking. On Windows, we tried both the pause and block internet settings. That's it. Recent versions of both Android and iOS don't let you grant permanent location privileges to an app during installation. Setting up a custom Content Filter is a bit confusing. Net Nanny separates web filtering capabilities into three different areas: Net Nanny Content Filters, Custom Content Filters, and Block or Allow Specific Websites. How to Reset Password on Net Nanny Net Nanny Pause Device vs No When your child tries to visit a blocked site, makes a post using iffy language, or otherwise bend the rules, the best parental control services send you a notification to your preferred channel, such as via the app, web, email, text, or some combination of those options. Its web-filtering technology just vastly outperforms that of every other service that I tested with regards to both efficacy and depth of features. Also, blocking an app on iOS just prevents it from connecting to the internet, so children can still launch and use offline apps. You may notice that Net Nanny flags some strange URLs, such as a Google API site and others related to the Amazon Cloud Front content delivery network (CDN). Mobicip offers an excellent range of parental control features with three very affordable subscription pricing options. Net Nanny supports multiple operating systems: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire. In other words, a parent would need to sign in and then manually switch to the child profile after each restart. That costs either $54.99 per year for up to 5 devices or $89.99 per year for up to 20 devices. You also cannot define the size of the geofence, let alone create a custom border. Your subscription has been confirmed. methods. That means privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo is beyond its control. Among the 14 preconfigured categories are Anime, Death/Gore, Drugs, Gambling, Mature Content, Porn, Suicide, and Weapons. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. It's produced by the Zift editorial team and tries to help you decide if specific apps, games and services might be appropriate for your child. Kaspersky Safe Kids was on this list for quite some time. By default, these are all set to the standard permission. If your child removes or otherwise disables the monitoring app, parents will get a notification. The first step is to create your account, and then you will move on to the child device(s). The company was bought out by Zift in 2016 and briefly changed names, but in May 2019 reverted to the familiar Net Nanny name. Alert also lets the kid browse to the site, but it records the instance. This also means that any custom filters you set up apply. We also tested the Net Nanny's ability to capture YouTube searches and watch history. App management: Android, Kindle Fire only You can also block your child from accessing the Settings app on a monitored Android device. However, it did not block the expletive lyrics that appeared in a Google search box that showed up directly on the search page. Block pornography. We tested Net Nanny on a Surface Book running Windows 10, a Google Pixel running Android 10, and an iPhone XR running iOS 13. Net Nanny recently added a Social Media protection feature which works as a quick way to control access to social media sites. Boomerang is cheaper at $30.99 per year for 10 devices. Given what you get with Net Nanny's premium tier I think it is certainly worth the cost. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. Modern kids use all kinds of internet-connected devices, and parental control systems must keep up. Qustodio has just about every feature an anxious parent wants, including web content filtering, robust app blocking, and a detailed activity log. In the center of the child profile page, you can also see an overview of searches, current and historical location, screen time usage, YouTube activity, and a running list of blocks and alerts. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Qustodio and Kaspersky Safe Kids match its platform support. When a kid's screen time expires, you can choose to either pause internet access on the device or lock them out of the device entirely. Instead of the software solution that is more common, Circle offers a hardware solution that controls internet access directly from the router. On Android, Net Nanny gives you complete control of your child's apps and the ability to block or allow any app on their device. Boomerang enables you to draw custom geofencing borders around a location and most others allow to define a border radius. While it's true that parents can set up custom Content Filters (as we discuss below), we would prefer if Net Nanny preconfigured more options. Net Nanny now offers geofencing tools for monitored iOS and Android devices. Too bad because the other features were good, and we really liked how it managed Windows laptops. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Kids can tap the Go Back button to return to the home screen. You can choose to allow, block or pop-up alert about all sites that fall into any of these categories. A lot more Resources For Net Nanny Pause Device vs No Internet To get the best performance and to avoid problems or inaccurate reports, users turn screen off when the device is not in use. For instance, with the default web categories enabled, we were able to download and subsequently browse freely with Tor. The parental control capabilities of video streaming services vary widely. These settings worked as expected for regular Windows apps and those installed from the Microsoft Store. The "alert" setting will let your child to view the content but also display an alert for it in the Family Feed. In the child profile section, you still see the Family Feed in the left-hand corner, but the middle sections change. The Overview section shows the Family Feed on the left-hand side, which is an ongoing list of notifications about a child's activities, including search terms, blocked sites, app installations, and screen time schedules. Although some supervision is acceptable, you still need to respect your child's basic right to privacy and encourage open discussion, rather than using parental control software as spyware. Parents can monitor an unlimited number of devices with a single subscription and also manage screen time limits for each child. Note that screen time applies across all of a child's monitored devices. Most of the services we've tested have given up monitoring social media for now. Fortunately, many parental control services offer a companion app that lets you view your child's activity, set basic rules, and view notifications as they arrive. On the right-hand side of the menu, you can access Net Nanny's App Advisor to discover popular apps your kids may be using, as well as add child profiles and manage your installations. This section does fortunately allow you to apply the same schedule across multiple days, but the actual time selection was frustrating at first. Depending on how plugged in you are to currently popular apps, it's a great resource to help guide your decisions on new apps for your kids. Net Nanny also successfully blocked offending sites on Android and iOS using the Chrome and Firefox Focus browsers. Parents who want to keep tabs on what their children are doing online with the comprehensive Net Nanny Family Feed, which shows their activity in real-time. This also means that any custom filters you set up apply. These software and hardware solutions let you block unwanted web content, limit screen time, restrict the use of risky applications, and more. Supported platforms - iOS and Android devices, Chromebooks, Chrome extension, and on Amazon devices; Activity . Then, you need to tap through and give Net Nanny all the permissions it requests, including app usage, location, device admin, and content tracking using VPN permissions (this is not a true VPN that encrypts traffic), as well as approve a certificate install. Net Nanny does a good job explaining why this may occur. For some apps that Net Nanny cannot natively monitor, it can help redirect your child to the mobile web page of the app in question. Keep an eye on your inbox! Although Kaspersky has long faced controversy for its connections to Russia, we have continued to endorse many of the company's products. Parental control services can help you manage the ever-increasing number of devices your kids use. Worse yet, there are some huge gaps in its protection. You can drag the selection box up or down to expand the applicable setting for that day, but you can't copy the same settings across days. Its not as feature-rich as our Editors' Choice pick, Norton Family, but Locategy is still a good way to keep tabs on your kids activities. Help you manage screen time. Net Nanny also successfully blocked offending sites on Android and iOS using the Chrome and Firefox Focus browsers. Unlike Net Nanny, Qustodio also comes with a completely free and permanent . Tips and Warnings. Microsoft (Family Safety(Opens in a new window)) and Google (Family Link(Opens in a new window)) both offer first-party parental control tools, too. We will update this review if this issue is fixed. Parents who don't mind spending a little more money to monitor their children online. For iOS devices, the Pause Device and Block Internet settings do the same thing. When a kid's screen time expires, you can choose to either pause internet access on the device or lock them out of the device entirely. Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Net Nanny boasts customizable web filters along with solid screen time and app blocking features, but it's a bit pricey and its geofencing features are not yet competitive. Net Nanny has expanded beyond its internet filter roots and offers new tools for blocking apps and restricting a child's screen time. Some services let you monitor contacts and messages and keep an eye out for potentially dangerous or unsanctioned situations. Internet Access Control & Time Management for Kids | Net Nanny We set up a custom web filter called VPN and added the terms VPN and Proxy to the list to test this feature. All the apps look and function similarly regardless of the platform you choose. If you click on a slot, you can select to either block internet access or pause the device during that time. To get started with Net Nanny, you first need to sign up for an account, a process that requires an email address and payment information. This kind of companion app is particularly useful for responding to access or time-extension requests on the go. Other parental control services offer a far greater number of preconfigured options, including Proxies, VPNs, File Sharing, and Social Media categories. Net Nanny for iOS is a world-class browser solution for kids of all ages to safely browse the web. Content filtering. Before you start configuring every setting, check out our guide on what every parent needs to know about their connected kids. Net Nanny for Windows FAQs | Net Nanny Setting up a custom Content Filter is a bit confusing. (Opens in a new window) $89.99 for Unlimited Devices on 1-Year Advanced Plan . While it's true that parents can set up custom Content Filters (as we discuss below), we would prefer if Net Nanny preconfigured more options. Boomerang is cheaper at $30.99 per year for 10 devices. Parents can keep tabs on their child's location, monitor the YouTube videos they watch, and manage their screen time limits. Note that Net Nanny's filtering technology recognizes context. Kaspersky Safe Kids lets you define schedules for when your child should be within a boundary. 4. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate. Net Nanny has expanded beyond internet filtering capabilities, with app-blocking and time-management features, which work fine in testing. We tested Net Nanny on a Surface Book running Windows 10, a Google Pixel running Android 10, and an iPhone XR running iOS 13. Geofencing tools allow you to monitor when your child leaves or enters a geographic region you define on a map, such as your house or a school. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant. The apps and web portal are well designed and intuitive to use, and the overall feature set now ticks just about every box for us. You'll see the VPN icon when such a utility is active, but it doesn't mean the child's connection is secured by a full-scale virtual private network, nor that the device's IP address is masked. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). 4 Ways to Bypass Net Nanny - wikiHow The interface performs better this time around, too. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate. In testing, Net Nanny successfully saved searches on each site. These capabilities work fine and the web filtering is no longer as vulnerable to workarounds as we found it to be in previous reviews, but it currently only offers basic geofencing tools. Net Nanny saves searches from Google, Yahoo, Bing, and YouTube. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. You can block the DuckDuckGo site if this is an issue. This will involve downloading the relevant app from that device's app store and then creating a profile for the child. We love the program's affordability, easy setup, and handy geofencing tools. Before settling on a particular parental control utility, you should to make sure it supports all the device types in your household. The app lives as an icon in the notification tray area. Technically you can install and use the Net Nanny app (opens in new tab) for free, but it will operate purely as a parenting guide to apps and a source for relevant news regarding digital parenting, so I don't think that really counts as a free tier for the actual service. We also appreciate the ease of its setup. Next, you need to follow the prompts for assigning each user account to a child profile. Then, enable push notifications, location permissions, and follow the steps to install the MDM profile. In the center of the child profile page, you can also see an overview of searches, current and historical location, screen time usage, YouTube activity, and a running list of blocks and alerts. Text logging: None Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. One other limitation is that there is not an easy way to see which apps you've blocked. So, when one chooses Net Nanny, not only will they pay less, but they will also get the services on 5 more devices. When you hit the Create a New Filter Button, the top field is for the name of the custom filter, not the term you want to filter. Net Nanny is our top choice among parental-control apps for its broad feature set, wide platform support and reasonable pricing. Download Article. 2 Method 2: Bypassing Net Nanny with the Windows Task Manager. For example, the best content filters don't just use a database of categories. For comparison, Qustodio costs $54.99 for a five-device planthe same as Net Nannyand Mobicip costs $49.99. To help parents avoid any confusion as to which app they should download, we would prefer Net Nanny to offer a single app with a child or parent mode you select during setup. By default, these are all set to the standard permission. When you hit the Create a New Filter Button, the top field is for the name of the custom filter, not the term you want to filter. This takes all of a minute to do, but it could easily be streamlined to apply the limit across multiple days. Internet Filter for iOS: FAQ | Net Nanny We canceled our subscription and will look for something else. Net Nanny 10 | Net Nanny Qustodio is our Editors' Choice pick for parental control software, thanks to its excellent apps and customizable features. Most kids are on mobile devices at least some of the time, and many are almost exclusively accessing the internet on their phones. Among the 14 preconfigured categories are Anime, Death/Gore, Drugs, Gambling, Mature Content, Porn, Suicide, and Weapons. You can lock Safe Search on those same services. Call blocking: None Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This allows you to view a list with all the videos that your child has watched on YouTube, along with any searches they have made. While this feature is integrated into the App Management section of Net Nanny, it is also available for free on the Zift website, along with a number of articles on digital parenting. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. Net Nanny successfully enforced the chosen restriction settings for those times outside the allowed schedule on test mobile devices too. Communicate with your child before implementing any of these options, as it is important they feel you respect their privacy. One is used to install a monitoring profile on your kid's device and the other is for parents to make changes to restrictions and monitor activities. If your child has an Android device, you could opt to block texting apps completely with Net Nanny.If you are looking to monitor or restrict your child's texts and/or calls, then Qustodio offers that functionality. Note that these content filtering rules are the same ones Net Nanny uses to filter web sites. Unfortunately, you have to go back to the main Net Nanny site to manage your subscription. Note that Net Nanny offers two apps on mobile platforms. On Windows, we tried both the pause and block internet settings. Net Nanny supports app blocking on Android and iOS devices. The process to set usage limits is a minor example of this. Alert also lets the kid browse to the site, but it records the instance. The child can then tap a button to request access if they feel that it shouldn't be blocked. Net Nanny Youtube App | Net Nanny Website Net Nanny boasts customizable web filters along with solid screen time and app blocking features, but it's a bit pricey and its geofencing features are not yet competitive. This is absolutely the best way to handle scheduling, and frankly I think Net Nanny would be wise to make this the primary control as it is faster and more intuitive. Web portal for parents: Yes As mentioned, kids can still access the phone and messaging apps, even during paused mode, which is a necessary safety precaution. You can only set up a geofence for an address that appears in the child's location history. Net Nanny is the most complete solution offering the following essential . Keep in mind, this primarily applies to SMS texts; messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Signal do not fall under the same scope. On Android and Kindle devices, you can add any app you want to the list. You can also make changes to configurations via Net Nanny's web interface. Net Nanny Review (2023): Great Screentime Control | SuspeKt Parental controls can: Filter adult content in real-time. The Profile Settings button to the left of that module with the gear icons is where you configure the rules. On Android, if your kid tries to open a blocked app, Net Nanny prevents it from fully launching. When you get beyond the basics, parental control systems start to diverge, with many advanced features to help them stand out from the crowd.