As a parent, you want to know what your child at all times. With the way technology has advanced in recent years, knowing what your child is up also includes what they do and who they are interacting with online. It is important to stay ahead of your child when it comes to the curve of technology, but it is not always easy.
The best way to monitor your teen online
online behavior tracking your teen can be very useful to identify potential problems that could arise in the future. Like many adolescent socialization happens online these days, the parental control software is generally the best option for parents. With so many options, how do you know which software is a good fit for you? To help, we have tested a variety of the most popular parental control software. Below you will find our top three.
1. Net Nanny
Price :. The prices of Net Nanny begin to $ 39.99 / year to protect a computer and will increase to $ 99.99 / year to protect up to 15 computers or devices
Features: Net Nanny is our parental control software top-rated because it offers the most comprehensive monitoring service. The characteristics in depth of Net Nanny start with profanity masking tools that will block inappropriate content when your child uses the Internet. The program then monitors the activity of your child on all teenagers use social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and more. Net Nanny will even monitor conversations your teen on Facebook Messenger and other chat services. If your teen has a smartphone and Net Nanny is the best option for you because it also includes features that help you monitor and block inappropriate content on the phone of your child. This software is compatible with PC and Mac as well as iOS and Android devices.
2. Social Shield
Price : SocialShield costs $ 9.99 / month to protect the social media accounts of all the family. The program also offers a free 60-day trial so you can test it before buying.
Features : Although SocialShield is not as complete as Net Nanny, it is always a good option for all parents who seek to control their online teen. Although he does not have protection on your Internet browser, it does focus on protecting your teen on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. Facebook monitoring software has a unique feature to verify the identity of online friends of your teen as well as alert you of specific cases in which your child uses profanity online. Although social shield done a good job for the most part of the protection and information, the software requires the participation of your child begin to monitor their social media accounts, and can also be sometimes circumvented by methods third.
3. Web Watcher
Price : Web Watcher is the priciest of the bunch - even with our 38% reduction - from $ 99.95 to protect your computer (PC or Mac) to your first year and $ 67 / year for renewals. Web Watcher also provides protection mobile (iOS and Android) for an additional price.
Features : At first sight Web Watcher appears that most other parental control software because it monitors your child on almost any device they use. However, it differs detailed programs above, because it can be a little invasive when it comes to the privacy of your child. A couple of features that you may find appealing, you can install the software on the device to your child without notice, and you also have the option of setting up blocks for the keywords and phrases that you are worried about your child to help. The feature that seems to be a bit over-the-top is the optional smart camera that records screen time - including keystrokes, websites visited, searches, IM chats, emails and screenshots - from your child's computer or mobile device. For some parents, this may seem like an interesting feature, but for others it can be a bit too invasive and creepy. Finally, it should be emphasized that the Web Watcher has a major flaw that allows the software to be bypassed by a third party service or by proxy, give your child the ability to maneuver around blocked content (if they know that the software is on their computer or device).
All detailed programs above are great options for any parent seeking to control the activities of their teens on the Internet, depending on how hands or disable protection you want. If you want more information on any of these three programs to see how they stack up against each other, see our reviews of parental control software.