By Mashum Mollah
- Are you a parent who is concerned about what your kids are watching online when they are innocently browsing?
- Do you know how you can protect your kids from meeting and engaging with evil and anti-social elements on the web?
- Have you heard about screen time apps and how they can help you in regulating your kids’ internet use?
In the last few years, a number of enforcement authorities and international bodies have spoken about cybercrimes being directed at kids. we all hear about and read several disturbing issues and things relating to children being exploited online.
While we as parents, might not be able to limit or put an end to our kids’ needs for accessing the internet, we can definitely regulate the same. In this article, we are going to look at some of the best screen time apps and help control, moderate, and regulate their children’s internet habits.
With the internet being one of the most progressive as well as dangerous spaces for small kids, it is important that parents regulate their childrens habits. You don’t want your child to come across sexual predators, or engage with topics and subjects that they shouldn’t be doing at their young age. If you are a parent that is concerned about how your child spends his or her time on the internet, please read this article till the very end.
Why more and more Kids are accessing the Internet in 2020?
We all know how the pandemic has fundamentally altered the way we used to lead our lives. This is more so for kids who have been restricted indoors and are availing of their education through an online medium. Whether it is for attending classes, or engaging with extracurriculars like dance and music lessons, the internet can be a very helpful medium.
Kids are also using the internet to talk to their friends, do research for their school projects, and multiple other things. In other words, the pandemic has increased its use of digital platforms and technology.
Various reports have stated how cybercriminals are taking advantage of this increased screen time and trying to exploit children. As parents, we cannot afford to be keeping an eye on our children and what they are accessing on the internet all the time.
This is why screen time apps have become a necessary choice as they come with several parental controls and benefits.
What are the Best Screen Time Apps in 2020?
In this section, we are going to look at two of the most popular screen time apps dominating the market in 2020- Qustodio and FamiSafe. We are going to look at their main features and help you decide, which ones you should go for.
1. Qustodio-
Qustodio has emerged as one of the better options on the market when it comes to controlling the screen time of children. It helps parents set timings for using the internet and switches off the same after it has ended. It is also very popular as it allows you to block inappropriate content being watched by your children in private browsing mode.
Most of our kids are active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and others. With Qustodio, you can set time limits for your kids’ social media browsing. This ensures that they lead a regulated life online and do not fall prey to unscrupulous individuals or groups online.
Qustodio works on multiple devices including tablets and smartphones. One major criticism leveled against this screen time app is that while it offers the full suite of features in Apple and iOS, the same cannot be said on Android and Windows.
2. FamiSafe-
The brand behind FamiSafe. Wondershare has a long and illustrious history of creating great functional and affordable software and products. FamiSafe app comes from the same team and is a top-notch product offering the full suite of parental control features.
When you start using FamiSafe, you realize that there are tons of ways you will be able to protect your child online. This includes having the best location-based trackers to check your kids wherever they are. You can also check for specific app usage to spot a trend and ask the child about the same.
One of the best things about FamiSafe is its ability to filter social media content as well. For example, we all know how kids love to watch reruns of their shows on YouTube. By using FamiSafe, you will be able to control and regulate the kind of content kids are watching on YouTube as well.
The app also comes with an inbuilt geofencing feature. This can allow you to mark areas as safe and unsafe. For example, you can mark the school the house of their best friend as safe. As soon as they go beyond these specific locations, the app alerts you about them being in unsafe zones.
The GPS is FamiSafe is a great feature for parents to find out what their kids are up to, where they are going, and who they are meeting. This can prevent many unfortunate incidents from happening.
The Final Word
Between Qustodio and FamiSafe, most experts feel that FamiSafe is a better option to start with. The full range of online functions compatible with GPS technology makes for a wonderfully complete product.
If you are someone who cares for your kids and wants them to be safe whether it is in the online or offline world, you can download the FamiSafe app from Google Play, App Store, or Amazon.
Can you think of some other strategies, which parents can use to monitor and regulate their children’s online habits? Let us know in the comments section below.
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