We all know that kids love using mobile phones. However, many parents reach out to us asking how to set up parental controls on smartphones to ensure their children use them safely. Understandably, they want to avoid nightmares about their kids wandering off into apps or websites that aren’t suitable for their age.

This challenge becomes even more complicated with teenagers, for obvious reasons. Often, teens know much more about how to use their smartphones than their parents. So, how can you set up parental controls in a way that they can’t bypass?

Top 3 Parental Control Apps

While there are numerous options available—both free and paid—for setting up parental controls, we’ve narrowed it down to the top 3 apps based on ease of use and features. Here's a quick overview of what these apps offer, without diving too deep to keep things concise.

Disclaimer

Before diving into how to set up parental controls on smartphones, here are two important disclaimers:

1. There will be some setup required, and you’ll need to invest a bit of time and patience for this one-time configuration.
2. Many parental control apps work better on Android than on iOS, so you may want to consider this when choosing a phone for your child.

1. Net Nanny Parental Controls

Among the many parental control apps available, Net Nanny is considered one of the best in terms of usability and control. It offers a wide range of features that allow parents to monitor and control their kids' activities on both Android and iOS devices.

Key Features:

• Set schedules for when your kids can access their phone.
• Block apps and websites you don’t want them to browse.
• Location tracking to monitor where they have been.
• Content screening that filters sensitive content on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
• Works well on both Android and iOS.

2. Applock by IvyMobile

If you let your kids use your phone to watch YouTube or play games, Applock is an excellent app to keep them from accidentally accessing apps they shouldn’t. Applock allows you to password-protect specific apps, so if your child mistakenly clicks on a restricted app, it will immediately ask for a password and block any further attempts to log in.

Key Features:

• Set passwords on apps you don’t want your kids to access, such as social media, banking, or messaging apps.
• Does not provide website control if you unlock the browser.
• Works best on Android.

3. Google Family Link

No list of tech solutions is complete without mentioning Google! Google Family Link is our top recommendation for parental control apps. It’s integrated directly into Android OS (version 10 and above), though you need to install the app to set it up. This app offers a wide range of parental controls while allowing kids the freedom to use their phones appropriately.

Key Features:

• Supervise your child’s Google account.
• Guide them to age-appropriate content.
• Manage apps and app usage.
• Location tracking.
• Set up a schedule and lock your child’s phone from your own device.
• Works only on Android.