How we test parental control apps

Parental control apps enable parents to monitor and track their kids’ activities on social media, browsers, and even their phone calls and messages. They’re designed to keep them safe from different online threats, prevent bullying, or simply keep you updated on your kids’ whereabouts.
Unfortunately, not all of the parental control apps on the market are reliable and give you detailed insights. That’s why we run numerous tests that help us understand the effectiveness and performance of the best parental control apps.
While the testing process varies from one parental control app to another, we still stick to the same testing methodology as different tools have different features. All apps are tested for monitoring and managing your children's online activities.
But to provide you with the best evaluation and test results, we always look through the parents’ eyes and stick to the following factors:
- In-house testing results
- Real-time monitoring
- Evaluating the service’s feature set and platform compatibility
- Evaluating the effectiveness of parental control restrictions
- Bypassing the parental control restrictions
- Pricing
If you keep reading this guide, you’ll understand better how our testing process goes and what our testing methodology includes.
Why you can trust our reviews
With so many review and comparison sites on the internet, it can be tough to know who you can trust for accurate information. At Cybernews, we promote transparency. Our researchers provide full transparency on the testing criteria, methodology, and sources behind our reviews.
Moreover, our testers and researchers are Cybernews professionals with years of experience. Independent reviews mean we can provide objective and accurate assessments of parental control apps. The best part is that we’re free from personal preferences and subjective judgments. Instead, we prioritize data-driven evidence.
We evaluate each parental control solution using strict testing methodologies, measuring performance, overall value, and monitoring capabilities to provide comprehensive assessments. In the end, we want to be consistent because it is important for our readers to trust us, and we want to help them navigate the confusing information that is widely available.
Our parental control app testing methodology
The objective of our parental control app testing methodology is to evaluate the effectiveness, usability, and performance of various tools that manage and monitor children’s online activities.
Our team primarily focuses on evaluating how well such apps can restrict access to inappropriate content, manage screen time, and track device usage. However, they also test how difficult it is for a child to bypass such restrictions.
Testing environment
We test parental control apps in real-world scenarios using both parent and child devices across mobile and desktop platforms. Our testing setup mirrors actual family usage patterns to ensure realistic results.

On the parent device, we actively monitor online activities, configure screen time restrictions, set up content filtering, and evaluate alert systems. Simultaneously, we install parental controls on the child's device and extensively test normal browsing activities to assess the software's effectiveness in real-world conditions.
Real-time monitoring
Being up-to-date with your kid’s online activities is crucial. So, even though almost all parental control apps claim they send real-time notifications about accessing suspicious content, detecting a keyword associated with a prohibited topic, or being somewhere your kid is not allowed, timely notifications are also important.

We search gambling sites on kid’s phones, for example, and see how fast we’ll receive an alert on the parent’s device. Aside from this, we evaluate if the notifications appear only on the app’s dashboard or if you’ll also get them via email or SMS text.
Evaluating the service’s feature set and platform compatibility
The evaluation of the parental control app’s features and platform compatibility starts by checking out some of the core features it should have. Every robust parental control service must include some necessary features that will help you track your child’s online activities.

To make sure it works as well as promised, we look for and test GPS or location tracking, the ability to restrict inappropriate content, web searches, and app activity, and to limit screen time and internet access.

Additionally, we evaluate the supported devices and operating systems, as well as check if all of the features are available on all of the supported systems. We’re mostly interested in compatibility with iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS devices, although we consider additional platforms.
Evaluating the effectiveness of parental control restrictions
Once we identify the offered features for monitoring, the next step is to evaluate the effectiveness of the present limits.
One of the features we’re interested in is GPS or location tracking. We first open the parental control dashboard and check whether the target device’s location is displayed correctly, whether you can set some boundaries, and whether you’ll be notified if your kid crosses the geofence you set.

Another feature is restricting inappropriate content. By default, the parental control apps restrict access to gambling, porn, online chatting, and drug-related websites. However, to test it out, we open a browser on the child’s device and try to access the websites that fall into the categories set in the parental control dashboard.
We also evaluate the monitoring of web searches and app activity. While major parental control apps track every site a child visits and send reports to the parental control dashboard, we want to be sure of this. Therefore, we go to the parental control dashboard and check if the child's browsing history and accessed apps are visible.
Ultimately, the parental control dashboard needs to allow you to set screen time limits and block internet access entirely. We test this feature by enabling the screen time limits or blocking the internet access and using the child’s device to check if we can still go online.
Bypassing the parental control restrictions
A decent parental control app should ensure that a child will not be able to bypass the restrictions that are in place. Therefore, we always try to bypass the restrictions with common methods and document whether the attempts are successful.
One of the methods we try is uninstalling the app. A well-built parental control app should limit admin rights and require entering the parent’s password before uninstalling the application.
We also try to bypass the restrictions by using VPN connections. We’re interested in seeing if a parental control application can still determine which websites your kid is viewing, even if they attempt to bypass this oversight with a VPN.
Another of the testing methods we may utilize is using different browsers. We do this because some parental control services can only work when using a particular browser.
Our list of bypassing parental control restrictions continues with restarting the device. We try to see whether restarting your device will shut down the app, regardless of whether it constantly runs in the background. Based on this, we go for the parental control apps that aren’t affected by this method.
Moreover, proxy search engines, such as Google Translate or ProxySite, may be able to bypass the parental control filters. That’s why we often try to access websites in proxy-like tools and ensure that this doesn’t interfere with the app’s performance and monitoring capabilities.
However, our testing methods don’t stop here. We want to ensure top-notch accuracy and transparency, which is why we may go for GPS spoofing to prove that we’ve picked the right parental control app.
In other words, using GPS spoofing software, such as Surfshark or Fake GPS, may be able to trick the parental control app into displaying a wrong location. Therefore, we pick only the monitoring tools that can effectively get around spoofing software.
Furthermore, we sometimes change DNS addresses and check if changing them on a system level affects the content filtering. Again, we then pick the apps that aren’t affected by this testing method.
Finally, we want to see if your kid can trick you by disabling the internet and GPS on their device. We check if making such changes affects the monitoring capabilities on the parental control dashboard, helping us select and list only the best parental control apps.
Pricing
After evaluating features and performance, we assess whether each app delivers good value for money based on its capabilities.
To assess this, we analyze the subscription flexibility, considering factors like the availability of annual plans, the number of devices supported, and whether there are any discounts. However, we’re particularly interested in whether potential price increases are clearly communicated once the promo ends, ensuring there are no hidden fees.
Additionally, we check whether the security software offers a free trial or a money-back guarantee and whether this limits the platform’s functionality, as we are aware that many users want a risk-free way to test a service before making a long-term commitment. We also evaluate how easy it is to cancel a free trial before being charged or to request a refund.
All of these factors, including pricing and subscription options, play a significant role in our ranking process. For instance, if the app is a bit more expensive than its contenders but lacks strong performance, it will receive a lower score, and vice versa. If it’s a budget-friendly option with high-end monitoring functionalities, we will rank it among the top providers on our list.
Our researchers
At Cybernews, our dedicated team of cybersecurity experts and researchers work together to test various parental control apps. They help assess the effectiveness of each app while gaining critical insights into the overall user experience. This is of great importance to our readers.
Also, they focus on providing accurate, updated, easily understandable content for a wide range of audiences. So, if there are still some gaps, we encourage you to reach out and let us know.
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