One-Minute Review of Net Nanny Parental Control
Net Nanny is a parental control app that gives you complete power to manage the content your child sees on their device. So, today, let's dive deeper into the details and see if it fits your expectations.
According to its official site, the Net Nanny app for Android, Kindle Fire, and Chromebook has been discontinued since its new version (Net Nanny 10) was released. Therefore, if you are using these devices, Net Nanny is not a go-to option.
Quick summary of my experience with Net Nanny:
After using Net Nanny on my iPhone and Windows PC, I now reliably share this hands-on experience.
Being able to filter website and social media content by keywords, this is the best point of Net Nanny I favorite. Most amazingly, it can mask profanity while browsing websites. What I like secondly is it allows me to allocated screen time.
However, in my first test, I had no clue how to use it as its parental control dashboard was hidden from the main interface. So, it is may not suitable for beginners. Also, not being able to monitor how much time which app my child spends is a big flaw.
Features of Net Nanny
For new users, Net Nanny offers a 3-day free trial. After that, the default price - $54.99 per year is required to experience its full features. Now, let's see which features you can enjoy:
Location Tracking
Net Nanny has GPS location-tracking technology, which enpowers you to locate your child in real-time and view a record of their previous routes.
⚠️ You cannot set geofencing zones or areas for your child.
App Blocking
This allows children to only use selective apps, whether they are online or offline. So, you can prevent your child from using any inappropriate app.
⚠️ This feature cannot function on my computer as it only works when your child's using an Android or iOS device.
Web Filtering
This feature enables you to choose websites and 14 categories to "Block", "Access", or "Alerts" for your child. Plus, with one click on "Force Safe Search", adult content will be filtered.
What makes it stand out is it boasts custom content filters based on keywords, which filter related content in websites as well as apps. For this reason, it can be a effective porn blocker.
⚠️ Web filtering was unreliable in my testing. I set the "Anime" website category to block, but I could still visit the Crunchyroll site and watch anime on my Windows PC. What's ridiculous, it showed me this site was "blocked" on my parental dashboard.
Activity Reports
You can also choose to track the screen time usage, web activity, and web search history of your child. This report of your child's activity can be easily accessed in the Family Feed area on your dashboard.
⚠️ You are not able to track which app your child uses daily and weekly. This is considered a basic feature of the parental control app.
YouTube Monitoring
The YouTube monitoring option is on by default. That is to say, you have the ability to observe the videos, the search history, and even the watching time of the child on YouTube.
⚠️ In my testing, this feature only works for youtube.com. If you focus on monitoring the YouTube app, we recommend Qustodio, Bark, and Norton Family.
Social Media Protection
As stated above, Net Nanny enables you to filter harmful content on your kid's phone by keywords. And this filter settings can be applied to 7 social media apps when you choose the "Protected" option for them.
⚠️ I tested this feature on my iPhone and chose "Protected" for TikTok, but videos containing alcohol can still be available. (I've set the alcohol keyword to "block" in my custom content filters pane.)
Schedule
Apart from limiting screen time, you can also arrange the daily and weekly screen time of their child. After choosing a specific time, you can pause your child's device or block the internet during this time.
⚠️ Net Nanny only offers 3 choices - "Standard", "Pause Device", and "No Internet". In contrast, with Qustodios's Routines, you have more flexible option, such as Study which lets your child only access educational websites.
Should You Use Net Nanny?
So let's conclude its pros and cons to help you decide whether you should use Net Nanny:
👍 Why You Should Try It:
- Filter content based on keywords
- Schedule screen time
- Track web search history tracking
- Mask profanity on websites
👎 What Defer You from Trying It:
- No geofencing tool
- No calls and SMS tracking
- No detailed app usage
- Limited social media protection
- Not easy to navigate on the mobile app
- No Android app version
Now, make your decision.
If you are looking for a parental control app with a powerful content filtering function, Net Nanny wins your favor for its content filters by keywords.
If you need to get more parental controls on your child's daily app activity, messages, calls, and social media, AirDroid Parental Control meets your needs.
FAQs about Net Nanny
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