From communication to entertainment to parenting, there is an app for just about everything nowadays. Parenting kids of the digital age keeps getting harder with all these new apps and platforms since kids are better at using them than their parents. As technology continues to progress, the threats surrounding kids also rise and evolve.
Hence, parents need a strong pillar of support they can rely on to protect their kids from dangers they cannot. That is where parental control apps like FamilyTime come to the rescue. Let’s take a closer look at the app and see why people consider it one of the best Android parental control apps.
What is FamilyTime?
FamilyTime parental control app for android is one of the most renowned parental control apps that work seamlessly across Android and iOS systems. It can help parents monitor kids’ digital activities from iOS to Android or vice versa. From location tracking to screen time limitation to social media monitoring and so much more, this app provides everything parents need to safeguard their kids against modern-world threats.
Key Features
Let’s unravel its features in detail to see what makes it one of the best Android parental control apps and how it can make digital parenting easier for you.
- Location Tracking
Every other day we hear about horrendous acts like abductions, sexual assaults, cyberbullying, racial crimes, etc., committed against kids and teens. No parents ever want their kids to experience such heinous and gut-wrenching incidents.
Keeping kids safe under your roof is one thing, but we cannot keep kids in our sights at all times. FamilyTime’s location tracking feature provides parents with much-needed peace of mind by allowing them to track their location remotely. They can see where the kids are and where they have been before.
- Geofence
Parents who think location tracking is not enough for their peace of mind can fortify their efforts with FamilyTime’s Geofence feature. It allows parents to mark locations that kids visit on a regular basis as well as locations they wish their kids would not visit at all. The geofence feature handles the rest.
It notifies parents as soon as kids enter and leave the marked places so parents can rest assured. They can also reprimand their kids if they go to an area they are not supposed to visit.
- SOS/Panic Button
We (as parents) cannot control every situation, nor can we protect kids against every threat that exists in the world. However, we can prepare them for the world. The best course of action is to devise a safety plan, practice the drills with kids, and provide them with the tools they can use to get help immediately.
The SOS/Panic Button does exactly that for you. It allows kids to send immediate alerts to parents with their current location in case they need help in emergencies. They can use it any time they feel threatened (by bullies, strangers, stalkers, etc.) or if they need medical attention.
- Screen Time Limit
Another reason why FamilyTime is considered one of the best Android parental control apps is that it offers a state-of-the-art screen time limit feature. It allows parents to limit their kids’ interaction with screens and helps them make their kids’ screen time more meaningful. You can specify how much time kids can spend with screens per day and set limits for individual apps (while you are at it) to ensure they don’t spend the entire time playing games or watching YouTube/TikTok, etc.
- Screen Time Schedule
Following a well-designed daily routine plays a significant role in the development of kids’ personalities. They learn to do their chores on their own and become independent as well. However, many parents struggle to devise a productive daily schedule for their kids since kids have excessive screen time and haphazard routines.
From homework time to bedtime to meal times and more, FamilyTime’s Screen Time Schedule allows you to specify a time for kids’ daily chores and disable their screens so they can complete tasks with undivided attention.
- Time Bank
Time wastage is one of the consequences of excessive interaction with screens. Though saving time and spending it wisely is one of the most crucial things in life, many people overlook its importance. The time to teach kids better time management skills is when they are still young. The habits formed during early years stay with us for life if practiced with persistence.
FamilyTime’s Time Bank feature serves as the breaking ground parents can use to instill time management skills in their kids. You can use this service to encourage kids to save their allotted screen time when they have to prepare for exams, quizzes, projects, etc. The screen time they save gets deposited in the Time Bank for later use that parents can use to reward them for good behavior or something else.
- App Blocker
The plethora of apps make it impossible for parents to keep track what their kids do online. Moreover, it is challenging for parents to prevent kids from using certain apps without using a parental control app like FamilyTime. Unlike the past, there are plenty of free apps and games kids and use nowadays.
FamilyTime’s App Blocker enables parents to filter out the apps and games that aren’t suitable for their kids. It blocks all apps kids download on their device and send notifications to parent’s devices. The app awaits their approval and kids can only use it with their parents’ permission.
- Internet Filter
Kids of the digital age learn to use and navigate the internet from a very young age. The problem is that the internet is not entirely safe from kids to use unsupervised. It is home to countless digital dangers, from the dark web to malwares to phishing attacks and more. The list goes on!
FamilyTime offers one of the most powerful internet filters to help parents weed out all inappropriate websites and content. It allows parents to protect their kids from getting exposed to adult/explicit content. You can block websites and use keywords to prevent such content from appearing in search results altogether.
- YouTube & TikTok Monitoring
Many parents wish they knew what their kids do when they hop on the social media bandwagon. Letting kids keep up with the latest trends in one thing, but making sure they are social media ready is a whole other story.
Modern day kids feel like the whole point of social media is to share their personal lives with the world. However, it is only right up to a certain limit. Oversharing personal information is like dangling bait in shark infested waters.
FamilyTime’s YouTube & TikTok Monitoring features allow parents to be aware of their kids’ social media activities. They can view what content their kids watch on these platforms and monitor their search history.
- Call & Text Monitoring
More often than not, teens hide their emotions and problems from their parents. On the other hand, parents want nothing better than to feel closer to their kids and help them when they need it the most. Kids rave on about respect, boundaries, and privacy while parents feel left out and weary.
FamilyTime offers a middle-ground in the form of Call & Text monitoring feature. It allows parents to respect their kids’ privacy by not having to go through their messages and calls. Instead, it scans their conversations for issues like sexting, depression, suicidal ideation, etc., and informs parents if anything similar is found.
- Teen Safe Drive
Many parents feel anxious while sending their teen drivers out on the roads. Having learned how to drive does not guarantee that teens heed road safety rules. To instill road safety in their minds and make sure they adhere to it, FamilyTime offers Teen Safe Drive feature. It allows parents to set a speed limit for their teens which they must follow on the road. It tracks their driving speeds and alert parents immediately if they exceed those speeds.
How to Use the App?
Parents can download the app from Google Play or App Store. To use the app, you will need to create an account on its website by providing your credit card details. If you are signing up for a trial version, you will not be charged a single penny. However, users must pay to gain access to its premium features.
Once the account has been successfully created, install the parent app on the parental device and the child app on their devices. Log in with your credentials to link both devices. It is the most crucial step in the process because the app won’t work if the (parental and child) devices are not linked. Once the devices are connected, parents can choose the features they want to set up, and that is it.
What Does It Cost?
FamilyTime offers a three-day free trial for in addition to four annual payment plans. Its packages have been designed based on the number of devices that need to be monitored. Parents can create the parental hub on as many devices as they like. However, the child devices that need monitoring are limited with each package. The cost of each package is listed below.
- The MyFamily Plan
If you only want to monitor one child device, this package is perfect for you. It costs $2.25 a month and $27 per year.
- The MyFamily 2 Plan
As indicated in the name, this package can be used to monitor 2 child devices and costs $2.92 per month. Users pay $35 after the trial period ends.
- The MyFamily 3 Plan
MyFamily 3 allows parents to monitor three child devices at the cost of $3.75 per month. Users pay $45 per year once the trial period is over.
- The MyFamily 5 Plan
This package is perfect for families with multiple child devices or those with a higher number of kids. Parents can monitor five child devices with this package. It may seem expensive. However, it is actually cost effective as it costs $5.75 per month or $69 per year.
Is It the Best Android Parental Control App for Parents?
FamilyTime is indeed one of the best Android parental control apps as it works seamlessly across multiple operating systems. Parents can use it to monitor Android devices from iOS ones or vice versa. The app may have its kinks and faces bugs every now and then. However, the team rolls out bug-fixes and feature updates regularly to keep its customers satisfied and happy. It also offers round the clock (24/7) customer support with prompt response system to help out customers in need and efficiently deal with their issues. So, overall, this app is worth the effort parents are willing to put in for their kids’ digital safety.
