If you’re giving your children an Android phone or tablet, you’ll want them to be safe online. You don’t want them to be exposed to unsuitable material, accidentally or otherwise. Similarly, you don’t want your kids running up bills for in-app purchases, or losing the device.

That’s where parental control software comes in. The following tools allow parents to unobtrusively monitor and control Android phones and tablets. Some have a subscription, while others are free.

What You Should Expect From Parental Control Apps

Parental control software should offer specific features that allow you to manage how your children use their devices. This should be done to encourage safe and responsible use of the apps, games, tools, and internet access given to them.

As a bare minimum, your parental monitoring software should:

  • Enable time limits for access
  • Feature location tracking or remote alarm
  • Prevent unauthorized in-app purchases
  • Prevent uninstalling
  • Enable your chosen content restrictions
  • Offer remote management (via app or website)

We’ve checked the following parental control apps:

  1. Kid's Place
  2. SecureTeen Parental Control
  3. ScreenTime
  4. Kids Zone Parental Control
  5. Qustodio
  6. Google Family Link
  7. Amazon Parent Dashboard
  8. FamiSafe

Each of these meets the basic requirements for parental monitoring apps. In many ways, their features are quite similar, and which one you choose will depend on personal preference.

Keep reading for more detailed information.

1. Kids Place – Parental Control

Essentially an app launcher that restricts access to data stored on your phone, Kids Place can also block incoming calls and wireless signals.

Profiles for different users can also be set up, making this an ideal tool for Android phones and tablets whether your children have their own tablets or they share one.

Kids Place is free to use, but in-app purchases can be made to enable premium features. These include an app and phone access timer, automatic restart, user profiles, and renaming the Kids Place to hide it from aggressive attempts to disable it.

2. Parental Control App SecureTeen

While the name might suggest it is aimed at older children, it can also be used on devices handled by your younger kids. However, it covers everything, not just phones. As such, you can control access to Android, iPhone, and Windows devices.

SecureTeen is a premium parental monitoring app, although it does come with a free trial and 15-day money-back guarantee. Once this is over, you’ll have the choice of a $39.99 Android/iPhone/Windows package or the $69.99 Android-only option.

Both versions offer all the expected features and social media picture logging.

3. Screen Time - Parental Control

The focus with this app -- as the name suggests -- is all about time, and how long your descendants spend on apps, games, and browsing. Screen Time comes with various timing mechanisms that can allow and deny access to apps, games, and other activities depending on the time of day.

While free, you'll need the monthly subscription option ($40 annually) to access the full range of device time management features. A seven-day free trial of the Screen Time’s premium version is available.

4. Kids Zone Parental Control

Claiming over 500,000 parental users, Kids Zone describes itself as a “parental lock.” Once installed, you can block calls and text messages, prevent internet access, and advert clicks. You can also create custom child and app profiles for granular management and conditional blocking.

Additionally, notifications, the home screen and system menus, and device settings can all be restricted from access by minors.

You can get all Kids Zone’s features for a single $3.49 fee.

5. Qustodio

Available for mobile and desktop devices, Qustodio has all the basic features you need from a parental monitoring app. Indeed, while the premium features are useful, you could manage your kids’ devices without them.

Qustodio’s premium upgrade brings specific app blocking, YouTube monitoring, and even an SOS button. You can get it for around $3.50 per month for five devices, although more expensive 10 and 15 device options are available.

If the price of some parental control apps is persuading you to find a less intrusive alternative, don’t worry. Google Family Link is a free tool that you can run from your Google account. It also affords some features that other tools in this list charge for with a premium upgrade.

As with most parental monitoring apps, you install the “parent” app on your phone. You then install it on all the child phones, sign in as the parent, and can then manage activity remotely.

Having tried a few paid solutions over the years Google Family Link is my personal preference when gifting standard Android devices to my children.

7. Amazon Parent Dashboard

My youngest child has an Amazon Fire tablet. They’re affordable, feature a good replacement policy in the event of damage, and can be configured with a child profile. This is a key feature of the Amazon Fire Kids’ Edition tablets.

Once an Amazon Fire tablet has been enabled and set up for children, you can manage it from the parents.amazon.com URL. Here, you can control device access, view activity (from the previous day—this isn’t live, unfortunately), set daily time limits, and adjust the age filter and theme. This lets you set age-appropriate content levels; of course, these are decided by Amazon, not you, and your opinion may differ.

Amazon Parent Dashboard is also available to standard Android devices via the Amazon Kids+ app. Note, however, that while the first month is free, it will cost $4.99 per month for Amazon Prime Members, $7.99 for non-Prime Members.

8. FamiSafe

A popular and award-winning parental control app, FamiSafe offers advanced child protection tools. Suspicious messages, links, and photos can all be blocked, TikTok history recorded, and other social networks monitored.

While it includes all the standard tools you would expect to find in a parental monitoring app, FamiSafe is probably more suited to managing the devices of older children. FamiSafe comes with a free three-day trial, after which you can set up a monthly $2.99 subscription.

Protect Your Children With Parental Monitoring Apps

If your children have a mobile device, it is your responsibility to ensure they use appropriate media and apps. Rather than hovering over each child (irritating them and wasting time for yourself) a parental control app can do the hard work, reporting statuses and issues.

Sure, installing parental control apps may not be popular, but you can make it work. With younger children, ensure it is there from the beginning (or as early as possible). For older kids, let them know that you’re installing it as a safeguard, rather than surveillance.

Online mistakes—particularly those on social media—can last decades. Parental control software can be employed to prevent a child’s misjudgment, restrict transgressions, and encourage your offspring to use digital media responsibly.