Best Parental Control Apps for Monitoring Teens Phones

Choosing the best parental control app for monitoring teens’ phones can be challenging, and it depends on different factors, including your teens’ personality, your relationship, and what you want to monitor.

I’ve tested 30+ parental control apps that are geared for teens. Many of them were not very good, either they didn’t have the features I needed or my teens could easily bypass its monitoring features. However, I found three apps that excelled in my tests; Qustodio, mSpy, and Bark. Read the detailed reviews of each app below.

Of these three, Qustodio proved to be the most comprehensive solution. It monitors app use, browser and web history, calls and messages, and generates daily activity reports. You can try it free for 30 days and see if it has the features you need to monitor your teen.

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Short on Time? Here’s a Quick Summary of the Best 3 Monitoring Apps in 2024

3 Best Parental Control Apps for Monitoring Teens’ Phones in 2024

1. Qustodio: Best for Remotely Monitoring All Activity on Your Teens Phone

Qustodio proved to be a comprehensive solution for monitoring my teens activities on their phones. I needed access to their phones for less than 5 minutes to install the app, enable the permissions, and sync it to my account. Once this was done, I could log in to my dashboard from any of my devices and monitor their activity.

As your teen starts using their phone, Qustodio adds their activity to the daily report. Go to the Activity Report section in the dashboard, and you can see a chronological breakdown of apps used, web and browsing history, calls and messages, and their location. This gives an excellent overview over how they’re using their phones.

The main page of the dashboard has different sections that display the top 5 apps based on usage, contacts, a graph that shows when your teen is on their phone, and the most popular search terms. With this information, you can set screen time limits or create a schedule of when the phone will be locked every day, block or set time limits on apps, and enable the web filter.

Another helpful monitoring feature is the location tracking. You can see where your teens are 24/7, as long as they have their phones with them, by viewing the Family Locator on the dashboard. In addition to live location, you can also add geofences to receive alerts when your teens comes or leaves the specified area.

Qustodio has built-in tools for preventing your child from bypassing or removing the monitoring features. It locks the device settings so your teen can’t turn off the GPS or remove the permissions you accepted during the installation. If they try to change the settings you will receive an alert.

You can try Qustodio free for 30 days with no credit card required. The free trial plan unlocks all the premium features, so you can test all the features for yourself.

2. mSpy: Takes Screenshots and Records Every Keystroke on Your Teens Phone

mSpy is a great app if you need to monitor exactly what your child is doing on their phone. The app takes screenshots at timed intervals and each time a new app or web page opens. This allows you to see what they see, so there can be no room for misunderstandings or taking something out of context.

Additionally, there is a keylogger that records everything your teen types on their phone and uploads it to the dashboard. This includes deleted or messages that weren;t sent, account login information, and chat transcripts. The keylogs are organized in the dashboard, making it easy to find the ones that you want.

The Keyword Tracking allows you to create a list of words or phrases, and mSpy will send you an alert if they’re used. This feature makes it easier to monitor the keylogger, since you won’t have to scroll through hundreds of transcripts looking for something inappropriate.

mSpy monitors over 10 chat and messenger apps. Unlike the keylogger, which only records your teens’ side of the conversion, it captures incoming and outgoing messages, including pictures, so you can see the kinds of interaction your child is having.

While you do need your teen’s phone to install mSpy, it runs in stealth mode, under a fake name. This way, you can monitor their phone without them knowing, so they’ll have no reason to change their behavior or try to find ways to circumvent the app.

While mSpy might not be for everything, the information it collects can save your teens lives in some scenarios. Get the mSpy 30% discount on all subscription plans, so you can test it free at a reduced cost.

3. Bark: Monitors 30+ Social Media Networks for Inappropriate Interactions

Bark excels at monitoring your teens social interaction on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and other social media sites. When you first download the app, you will need to sit with your teen and connect Bark to their social media and email accounts. Then, it uses advanced AI and ML algorithms to monitor and update you on their actions.

The social media monitoring has over 15 categories, including cyberbullying, violence, alcohol, drugs, and violence. If it detects DMs, comments, pictures, or videos that flag the filter, you will receive an alert that contains a screenshot, or a copy of the text, the app your teen was using, the category tags that were flagged, and expert advice for parents.

In addition to social media, Bark also has a web filter that prevents inappropriate or dangerous websites from opening. Both types of filters are customizable, so you can adjust the sensitivity levels or disable a category if you don’t mind your teens seeking out that kind of content.

The screen time routine allows you to monitor how long your teen uses their phone. You can also choose what websites and apps are available at different times throughout the day. This means that you can block all entertainment and social media apps during school hours or late at night.

You can try Bark free for 7 days to get a first hand look at how its monitoring features work on your child.

How to Monitor Your Teens Phone

Monitoring your teens phone can be a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, as a parent, it’s your responsibility to keep them safe online. On the other hand, teens are figuring out who they are, and they need and want privacy. Understanding your teen and what level of monitoring they need will help you properly monitor their phone.

Most experts agree that you should be open with your teens about monitoring their phone. If you install the parental control app without their knowledge and they find it, it can damage your relationship with them. Both Qustodio and Bark work better if you explain to your child why you’re monitoring their phones and what they can expect.

mSpy works differently than the others. It’s a valuable tool if you’re concerned for your teens’ health or safety. In this case using the stealth installation can save their life. Although, you’ll need their phone to install it, the app can be hidden so they won’t know that you’re monitoring them.

FAQ Regarding Monitoring Your Teens Phone

Only a Premium Parental Control App Can Monitor Your Teens Phone

Whatever your reasons are for monitoring your teens, the most important thing is that you find one that works. I tested more than 30 premium parental control apps and dozens of free apps, but none of them were good enough. Some of the issues I had were limited monitoring, difficult to use, easy to uninstall, or simply didn’t work.

I did find three premium parental control apps that excelled in my tests, with Qustodio leading the way. It has detailed reports on your teens actions on the phone, monitors app use, web and search history, and calls and messages. It also has the best free trial deal – 30 days with no credit card required, so you can test its monitoring features and see if it’s a good fit for your needs.