Bark - Parental Controls

Bark - Parental Controls

By Bark Technologies, Inc.

  • Category: Productivity
  • Release Date: 2019-09-25
  • Current Version: 5.4.0
  • Adult Rating: 12+
  • File Size: 12.57 MB
  • Developer: Bark Technologies, Inc.
  • Compatibility: Requires iOS 15.6 or later.
Score: 4.18358
4.18358
From 26,833 Ratings

Description

Bark provides families with all the tools they need to raise kids in the digital age. Our comprehensive service lets you monitor content, manage screen time, and filter websites so you can get peace of mind while your child is online. CONTENT MONITORING Bark monitors your child’s texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for issues like cyberbullying, adult content, sexual predators, profanity, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more. Parents receive alerts only when something potentially problematic occurs online. You won’t have full access to everything on your child’s phone — just the things you might need to know about. SCREEN TIME MANAGEMENT Families can set healthy time limits and create schedules for when their children’s devices can connect to the internet (through both cell service and Wi-Fi). WEB FILTERING Our web filter lets you select which websites your child can access on their devices. You can allow or block specific sites — or even whole categories like streaming services, online gaming, sexual content, and more. BARK TESTIMONIALS • "My wife and I LOVE Bark. We've had some tough but productive conversations with our 13-year-old son. It's proving to be extremely valuable." — Josh L. • “It’s just another set of protections we as parents give our kids for the digital environment (or as my 10-year-old calls it, a “cell phone seat belt”). My oldest is a 9th grader, and while I trust her, I’ve come to realize through the alerts that some of her friends aren’t truly her friends. It’s led to some amazing conversations about choosing friends wisely and recognizing toxic people. While she wasn’t for Bark at first, she’s since said she’s grateful that I saw those messages because it reaffirmed what she was feeling but didn’t know how to verbalize without sounding sensitive.” — Bark Parent • "Bark notified me that my young daughter had unknowingly revealed her phone number to strangers on Twitter. The fact that Bark notified me was impressive and led to an informative discussion with her the same day." — Jon B. • “Since Bark alerted us to the suicidal language used in the Google doc that was being used in a chat document with a friend, we have seen both a pediatrician and a licensed counselor. We are hopeful for a positive outcome. Thanks to Bark for letting us peek into our child’s mind!” — Bark Parent • “This app is a lifesaver! It has allowed us to catch so many “red flags” in the content my kids have accessed on their devices and in their interactions with friends and other people online that I wouldn’t have ever known about otherwise. The big difference between Bark and other “Parental Control” software is that Bark allows your kids to have so much more privacy. It doesn’t show you everything they do, but sends an instant alert regarding any activity that might be concerning. Highly recommended!” — Bark Parent With Bark, you can help keep your kids safe both online and in real life. Try it out for seven days absolutely free! Our Family Online Safety Specialists are standing by to help answer any questions you may have. Email help@bark.us or visit help.bark.us to get answers and advice from the Bark Team. Terms of Use https://www.bark.us/terms

Screenshots

Reviews

  • Absolutely recommend! It will save you so much stress of having to stay one step ahead !

    5
    By Cinlouwho001
    I wanted to take a moment to share my experience with the Bark phone for kids and tweens, as it has truly made a positive impact on our family dynamics. I absolutely recommend it, especially for those of you navigating the challenges of keeping up with kids and their iPhones. Transitioning from an iPhone to the Bark phone was a bit of an adjustment for my daughter, and I’ll admit she wasn’t thrilled at first. However, we made it clear that it was either this phone or no phone at all! Thankfully, she kept her complaints to a minimum, and as time went on, I think she began to appreciate the benefits. What I love most about the Bark phone is how it has opened up conversations between us that I might have missed otherwise. Instead of directly calling her out on things, I wait for the right moment to bring up topics that arise. It’s been enlightening, and I believe it’s strengthened our communication. If I can help another parent save time and reduce the stress of trying to stay one step ahead of their kids, I want to do so by recommending the Bark phone. It has truly made my life easier, and I believe it can do the same for you!
  • Not perfect but the best option I have found

    4
    By Zack Riesland
    After trying lots of other solutions, I landed on Bark, and so far, I'm very happy with it. I only use it for my home wifi network, so not the vpn product that runs on individual devices. A few notes: After initial setup, it took Bark about 5 hours to find all my devices. That was annoying. And now that initial setup is done, when a new device is added, it usually takes several hours for it show up in Bark, and there is no option to force a fresh scan of the network. And it's not perfect. For example: I blocked instagram on an apple device. Now, the instagram website is not accessible, but the instagram app can be installed and used with no issues. But, aside from some edge cases, it appears to work well as far as blocking major areas of the internet, and reporting on device usage. And it also feels lightweight, in that there are no apps necessary at all - you just install the device and you can maintain everything through the online dashboard. There doesn't appear to be any noticeable lag on device performance. One other major note: Because this product depends on mac addresses, for apple products, you have to turn OFF the default behavior of spoofing a mac address on the home network. Your child can easily change it back and their device will no longer be monitored. Although - it will be obvious to you that this happened because their usage stats will all go to zero. Similarly, if your child uses any kind of vpn product, they can circumvent the whole system.
  • The lies and uneducated reviews are crazy LOL

    5
    By Brook the teddy bear lover
    I don't even use the app, but my mother used it with my little brother. I simply just wanted to say that almost every negative review genuinely has NOTHING to do with the app, even if I haven't used it, it should be common sense that even apps like these have their limits regarding what they can and can't do. I understand it can be hard, especially if you are a bit older and struggle with the rapidly-evolving technology, but when the company is trying to help you solve the problems you're having, please just listen to them 💀 Y'all, It is not the developers' fault your child deleted the app, that is something they cannot control. And I totally get some of the teens feeling their privacy is disrespected, but that is something to discuss with your parents, and not something the devs can control. Internet safety is a genuine issue, I honestly wish this was around/ known of when I was younger. My mother says the app is wonderful, and again, if you are not tech savvy then that is not the app's fault 🤦‍♀️
  • Horribly confusing app

    1
    By Matt223;
    I regret getting my daughter this phone. The app is needlessly complicated to use. It’s impossible to figure out how to turn off or on her screen time, and the AI is garbage. I received 700 alert related to one message! I can’t fathom what these developers were thinking when the designed this. Totally garbage
  • Useless for IPhone

    1
    By shannnyre
    iPhone is only monitored when you enter a passcode and when you are on home WiFi. Messages sent that get deleted before they are backed up aren’t captured. Even keeping my laptop running constantly, it won’t stay connected. I honestly can’t understand the good reviews on this. Cancelled in my free trial because I already had enough headaches in the first 2 days.
  • Complicated.

    2
    By MissWk
    The setup is so involved. I got the trial and felt exhausted immediately after opening the app. I should have cancelled, but forgot to and now I am subscribed. I’ll update this review if/after I get through the setup.
  • Beyond complicated and limiting

    1
    By M'nM's
    Conceptually, this is a great product. And technically speaking. It does what it says on the label. —But when you want to implement it on IOS, it's a TERRIBLE technical architecture. You HAVE to use a VPN on all your device that routes ALL your internet traffic through their servers (so it slows all internet access and you can forgot about using any other vpn service), you then need the kid app, you also need the parent app, you also need a desktop app running ALL the time on the same network for the alerts which are NOT in real time, and then having to find ways around the latest IOS updates which requires you to put in the passcode every single time it downloads the data from your kids devices for analysis... all just to make it work. And if that wasn’t enough, if you have an older kid who has the ability to delete apps from their device, they can just delete it and complete circumvent everything. Developers - go back to the drawing board. Simplify. There are better, simpler alternatives on the market. And they will get my money.
  • Does nothing

    1
    By voomher
    I have bought a year subscription and regret it. It doesn’t help with anything. Waste of money
  • unbelievable

    1
    By Rachelzinkx
    This app is just unbelievable. The Bark app is an absolute nightmare for children's privacy. Not only does it claim to monitor your child’s every move, but it goes far beyond what any responsible parent should allow. Imagine an app that invades every conversation, message, and app usage – all under the guise of "protecting" your child. Instead, it’s a glaring violation of their personal space and autonomy. The idea of safeguarding children is understandable, but the Bark app takes it to a disturbingly invasive level. It scans private messages, even those that may be entirely harmless, and reports back to parents with alarming frequency. It doesn't just alert on real threats, but it spies on every interaction, making children feel like they’re constantly under surveillance. That sense of trust? Gone. The sense of safety? Gone. The app might as well be called a "privacy eraser." Bark is not the answer; it’s a privacy nightmare.
  • UX design is the worst I’ve seen

    1
    By Josh from Aberdeen SD
    The old version of the app was confusing and unintuitive, but at least mostly functional (if glitchy). The upgraded version is even more badly designed, and mostly nonfunctional. Will be switching to new service ASAP.

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