Your kids have a phone or tablet. They have online access, a wealth of knowledge, learning, and communications—more than anyone else at any time in recorded history.
But are your children safe online?
The evidence says no. Fortunately, there is a solution: parental control services, like Qustodio. It comes with a free trial and works on Android and iPhone.
Why Track Your Family’s Online Activity?
You could just stick a computer, phone, or tablet in your child’s hands and let them get on with it.
However, that will inevitably lead to trouble. Scams, malware, inappropriate content, games with adult ratings and high levels of violence, cultish YouTube videos… the list of potential risks is endless.
Sure, you could just sit back and let it happen. But as a responsible, proactive parent, you’re probably not comfortable with that approach. Happily, there are solutions. Parental control apps can help you monitor your kids’ online activity.
But they’re often a pain to use, annoying to set up, and end up being switched off because they’re just not configurable enough.
That’s where Qustodio comes in.
The War Against Screen Time
You’ve probably heard concerns about excessive screen time. Whether games or educational apps or movies, too much screen time can have a negative impact on attention and memory.
The trick is to find the right balance of activity with and without a phone, tablet, or computer. Successfully achieving this is difficult, but with a tool like Qustodio, you can “Keep your child’s screen time healthy and happy.”
All you need to do is use the app to set time limits for use; this can control overall access, or on an app-by-app basis.
Qustodio can defeat excessive screen time, putting you back in control.
Getting Started With Qustodio
This software is incredibly simple to use. Start by visiting www.qustodio.com and signing up for free.
With your account created, you’ll be prompted to add your first child account. Make sure you have their device to hand as you’ll also need to install the client app. This is done by signing in with the same credentials—just click the I have a parent account button.
No PC? Don’t worry. The Qustodio app is available for parents too, so if you’re planning to control things from an iPad or an Android tablet, the I’m new to Qustodio option is there for you to create an account with.
When you’re setting up the child device, simply check the terms and conditions, give the device a name (e.g. “Daisy’s tablet”) and configure the accessibility settings when prompted. This permits the Qustodio app to control, track, and act as administrator for the device. Once set up, the app can be closed and the device handed back to your child.
You’re then ready to access the Qustodio dashboard on your PC or mobile device. Qustodio runs in the background—your kids won’t even know it’s there.
Parental Control for Every App
Qustodio isn’t limited to particular platforms. Rather, you can use it on any platform, desktop or mobile.
Parents get to use the Qustodio app in parental control mode, or use the web-based Family Portal. Kids can have Qustodio installed on any Android, iPhone, iPad, Amazon (Kindle) Fire, Mac, or Windows device. But will it work on your kids’ devices?
- The Android (and Amazon Fire) version of Qustodio is for Android 5.0 and higher
- Qustodio on iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod) works on iOS 11 and above
- Windows users will need a laptop or desktop running Windows 7 SP1 and above
- A Mac running OS X 10.9 and later is required for Qustodio
With the right prerequisite operating system, you can use location tracking, monitor internet activity, set screen time and content limits, and remotely manage other aspects of online activity.
Plus, you get a weekly summary of activity for each device sent to your email inbox.
Qustodio’s Key Features
What can you expect with Qustodio? Well, there is the usual daily time limits, restricted times when your kids won’t be using their phones or tablets, and web filtering to block harmful and inappropriate content.
But you’ll get all of this for free with Google Family Link. So, why use Qustodio?
Well, you get the ability to monitor YouTube content for a start off. Rather than block the app entirely, you could use Qustodio to set time limits. Alternatively, you could also block YouTube access from the device browser—a common workaround.
Individual games and apps can have specific time limits set, or access blocked (free apps only allow blocking and unblocking), while Facebook posts can be monitored. Location tracking is also a feature in Qustodio, as well as a panic button for safety. Qustodio also features call and SMS tracking to monitor contact with potential “undesirables.” Contacts can also be blocked.
Be aware that the call and SMS tracking feature is not available in the Android app available on the Play Store. Instead, an advanced version of Qustodio for Android will need to be downloaded from the website.
During 2020, Qustodio has also proven useful as a parental monitor for ensuring children are keeping up with remote and hybrid learning.
Qustodio Pricing
Families can enjoy a free trial of Qustodio to get a flavor of what is on offer.
Family access comes in three packages covering small, medium, and large families.
With the Small Plan, you get protection for up to five devices for $54.95 a year (the same as $4.58 a month).
Designated the “Best Value” is the Medium Plan. This protects 10 devices for $96.95 a year, or $8.08 a month.
The Large Plan is $137.95 a year ($11.50 a month) and protects 15 devices.
All of these packages include the premium features of Qustodio: YouTube monitoring, game and app monitoring, call and SMS monitoring, location monitoring and panic button, and social monitoring.
Furthermore, schools and businesses can also take advantage of dedicated packages from Qustodio.
A Family Monitoring App You Can Use Anywhere
Whether you want to manage screen time, restrict access to inappropriate content, or just check where your kids are, parental control software is vital.
Focusing on simplicity, Qustodio is a smart option that anyone can use. Affordable, simple to set up, and convenient, Qustodio is the perfect upgrade to Google Family Link and Apple Screen Time.