Are you a parent concerned about your child’s online safety? Bark is a popular parental control app that helps you monitor their activity across various platforms.
This comprehensive review examines Bark’s features, pros & cons, pricing, and overall effectiveness. Read on to decide if Bark is right for your family!
Bark Parental Control: A Comprehensive Review (Updated 2023)
Bark, a robust parental control app, safeguards your children online. Keep in mind, though, no app is perfect.
Openly talking to your child is crucial. If you’re thinking about Bark, try the free trial to see if it suits you.
In this review, we’ll explore Bark in detail, looking at its features, pros and cons, pricing, and overall effectiveness.
What is Bark?
Bark, a parental control app, watches your child’s online activity on different platforms.
It checks texts, emails, YouTube, and over 30 social media apps for potential risks. Using machine learning, Bark identifies risks, which may include:
- Cyberbullying
- Suicidal ideation
- Adult content
- Sexual predators
- Profanity
- Threats of violence
- And more
If Bark detects a potential risk, it will send you an alert via the app or email.
This allows you to take appropriate action, such as talking to your child about the issue or blocking access to certain apps or websites.
Features of Bark
Bark offers a wide range of features that can help you keep your children safe online. Some of the most notable features include:
- Monitoring: Bark monitors your child’s activity across various platforms, including texts, emails, YouTube, social media apps, and more.
- Alerts: Bark sends you alerts if it detects any potential risks in your child’s online activity.
- Screen Time Management: You can set time limits for how long your child can use their device each day or week.
- Web Filtering: You can block access to certain websites and apps.
- Location Tracking: You can see where your child is at all times.
- Call Blocking: You can block calls from certain numbers.
- Contact Management: you can approve or deny contacts for your child.
- Time Scheduling: you can set up different rules for different times of day, such as school time, bedtime, and free time.
- Bark Phone: this feature provides additional monitoring and control options for younger children.
- Bark Jr.: this feature is designed for younger children and provides a more limited set of monitoring tools.
Pros and Cons of Bark
Pros
- Comprehensive monitoring: Bark monitors a wide range of apps and platforms, giving parents a more complete picture of their child’s online activity.
- Machine learning: Bark uses machine learning technology to identify potential risks, which can be more effective than traditional keyword-based filtering.
- Alerts: Bark sends you alerts for potential risks, allowing you to take action quickly.
- Additional features: Bark offers a number of additional features, such as screen time management and web filtering, which can be helpful for managing your child’s overall online experience.
- Free trial: Bark offers a free trial, allowing you to try the app before committing to a subscription.
Cons
- Cost: Bark can be expensive for some families.
- Privacy concerns: Some parents may be concerned about the privacy implications of using a parental control app.
- Accuracy of alerts: Bark’s machine learning technology is not perfect, and there may be false positives or negatives.
- Technical setup: Setting up Bark can be a bit technical for some users.
- Not foolproof: No parental control app is foolproof, and it is important to have open communication with your child about online safety.
Bark Parental Control: Is It Worth It?
Whether or not Bark is worth it depends on your individual needs and priorities.
If you are looking for a comprehensive parental control app that provides peace of mind, Bark is a good option. However, it is important to weigh the pros and cons carefully before making a decision.
- Your child’s age: Bark is designed for children aged 8 and up.
- Your child’s online activity: If your child is active on a variety of social media platforms and apps, Bark can be a helpful tool.
- Your budget: Bark can be expensive, especially if you choose the annual subscription.
- Your comfort level with technology: Setting up Bark may require some technical knowledge.
- Your privacy concerns: If you are concerned about privacy, you may want to consider a different app or use Bark with caution.
