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Modern parents use parental control apps to protect their children’s well-being while using the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Beau Biden Foundation reports<\/a> that there are almost 500,000 active online predators daily. Online Predators often target children ages 12 to 15 for grooming and manipulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Accessing your kids’ devices through spy apps may help you track their safety online. These apps can help prevent cyberbullying<\/a>, child identity theft<\/a>, and other threats of cyber attacks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a Kaspersky-commissioned survey<\/a>, 48% of parents use parental control apps, while 45% check their kids’ internet browsing history frequently. Yet, one may ask: Are parental control apps legal? <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, discover whether parental control apps are legal, their pros and cons, and the best parental control apps on the market today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Parental control apps can be legal or illegal, depending on how you use them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Parents are allowed to monitor their minor child\u2019s online activities. However, it\u2019s different if the child is already an adult. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cornell Law School notes that state laws set the legal age<\/a> and can differ from one state to another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most states in America have put their legal age to 18. The legal age is when a person gains control of their actions. They become responsible for decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unconsented parental control apps usage on adults’ devices may lead to legal liabilities. Even if you are monitoring your own child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is possible to invade someone’s privacy when using parental control apps. The following laws cover these types of situations: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Federal Trade Commission<\/a> (FTC) notes that USA\u2019s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)<\/a> requires operators of online services to notify the parents of any use, collection, or sharing of the kids’ personal information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These services refer to websites or apps that focus on children below 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The operators are expected to observe the following actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any violation of this federal law may cause the operators to pay $50,120 per violation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The US Department of Justice<\/a> explains ECPA<\/a> is a federal law that protects oral, wire, and electronic communications. It doesn’t allow the intentional sharing and use of private information without the owner’s consent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It applies to telephone conversations, email, and electronically stored data. Anyone who violates ECPA will have a fine of up to $250,000 and face up to five years of jail time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 1998 case of Pollock v. Pollock<\/a>, the court used the idea of “vicarious consent” to say that it was okay to listen in on a talk between a child and an adult. Conversations can be recorded if one of the people in the chat agrees with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this situation, vicarious consent happens when a parent agrees to wiretap on behalf of their child. This is only justifiable when the parent’s spying is done out of genuine worry for the child’s well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If a parent is looking out for their child’s best interests, judges should find that snooping is justified and legal because the parent is agreeing to their own snooping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pew Research Center’s survey<\/a> show 93% of parents with at least one child below 18 years old say that they and their guardians have a huge responsibility to ensure their kids’ digital safety. Knowing the pros and cons of these apps can help you with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parental control apps are becoming more popular as children grow more tech-savvy. The following are some of the pros of using parental control apps to monitor your child\u2019s online behavior: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Block inappropriate content from the kids like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Monitor kids’ activities such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Protect your kids from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parents can use parental control apps to check for symptoms of identity theft<\/a>, scamming, and other online threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Pew Research Center survey, 75% of parents monitor the websites or mobile apps their child visits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are downsides when using parental control apps that you may consider. One is that it might negatively affect your parent-child relationship because of the possible rise of trust issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another disadvantage of using these apps is that they can be pricey. Different apps also have different price ranges, depending on the features they offer. may have expensive rates depending on the package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With advanced technology, youngsters become more exposed online. There are popular parental control apps in the market to cater to concerns about online safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The following are some of the most trusted apps in the market today: <\/p>\n\n\n\n mSpy<\/a> is designed for parental control purposes and enables remote tracking of children’s online activities. It is compatible with both Android and iOS operating systems and offers parents a transparent view of their child’s smartphone usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This tracking tool has the ability to monitor the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n mSpy\u2019s location tracking and real-time updates features can be helpful. The app aims to protect and secure your and your child\u2019s information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ClevGuard’s KidsGuard Pro<\/a> app lets parents view their kids’ mobile devices. It scans a kid’s phone and reports contacts, messages, social media applications, and more, like many free and commercial spy apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With KidsGuard Pro, you can do these features: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This app is worth every penny if you want a powerful Android location tracker without root access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NetNanny is a powerful filtering tool that lets parents control what kind of material from the internet gets into their homes. It has maximum security and monitoring functions that are already set up, but you can easily change them to fit the needs of your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With modern web-filtering technology, Net Nanny<\/a>, these are the features that this app is known for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As its website suggests, this app aims to monitor, limit, and protect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bark is a parental control app that gives privacy while alerting them to suspicious activities. This spy app is known to be helpful to parents and caregivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bark<\/a> allows you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bark\u2019s real-time notifications can be helpful for you. This danger may come from online interactions or other activities that hint at mental health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These parental control apps are only some of the many available apps in the market. You can choose the best for you, your kids, and your family dynamics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Protecting your juvenile child against online threats is legal; it is a responsibility. Using parental control apps can help you do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your child becomes an adult, you must ask for consent before using a parental control app on their devices. Using these apps on adults without their permission is illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specific apps such as YouTube, Facebook<\/a>, Instagram, and Disney Plus<\/a>, also have parental control built inside the app that a parent can use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other options exist, such as parental controls on Android<\/a> and iPhone.<\/a> These are for your kids’ digital space safety without installing extra apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLegal Issues of Parental Control Apps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Laws on Parental Control Apps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pros and Cons of Parental Control Apps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pros<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Cons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Popular Parental Control Apps<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
mSpy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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KidsGuard Pro<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Net Nanny <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Bark<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Final Note<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n