Children start using the internet as early as three years old. Even more alarming, they spend twice as long online as their parents assume. More often than not, parents are unable to control the internet usage of their kids, especially considering that many young people now have their smartphones. With this, it is important to be proactive in monitoring kids when they use the internet, and one of the best ways to do this is through parental controls.
If you are looking for the best parental controls, McAfee is an excellent choice. A global security software company, McAfee offers a way to safeguard the online experiences of children. This is possible through McAfee Safe Family.
In the rest of this short McAfee Safe Family Parental Control Software Review, we’ll talk about its features and benefits. By the time that you are finished reading, we’ll help you decide if it is worth your money or if you should look for other alternatives.
What is McAfee Safe Family?
Safe Family is McAfee’s parental control program. It makes the digital world safer for the little ones. It also allows parents to limit screen time. Other features include social media monitoring and website filtering. You can choose from monthly or yearly plan depending on what is most suitable for your needs. It can monitor an unlimited number of devices.
Before, McAfee has Parental Controls as a built-in feature of the McAfee Security products. In August 2018, however, it has been removed. However, this does not mean that you will not have control of how kids are using the internet. With Safe Family, you can enjoy tons of features that will safeguard the little ones when they are online.
Features of McAfee Safe Family
Here are some of the things that Safe Family can help you with when it comes to providing a safer online experience for young internet users.
- App and Web Usage Activity: Parents will be in the know when using McAfee Safe Family. It generates reports about the apps and websites that are being visited, as well as the time spent in each.
- App Blocking and Website Filtering: You will have complete control of the online activities of children. You can block certain apps and filter websites to make sure that they won’t access age-inappropriate content. There is an option to block those that are related to dating, drugs, alcohol, and gambling, among others.
- Screen Time Management: Safe Family allows parents to create a specific schedule when users are allowed to use a gadget. You can also impose a limit on the maximum hours that kids can use the device. When the time has lapsed, the system will send a notification of the screen time-out. If the user will request an additional time, this can also be done through the app and permission can be granted immediately.
- Email Blocking: Aside from apps and websites, there is also an option to activate email blocking. Kids will be blocked from adding or creating another email account other than what has been initially approved.
- In-App Purchase Blocking: There are many instances when kids can make unauthorized online purchases, such as for an app or items they need in a specific game. To prevent this from happening, McAfee Safe Family has a feature that allows blocking of in-app purchases. Otherwise, you might end up being shocked when your credit card statements show purchases from your kids that you did not know of.
- Family Locator: If you always want to be in the know about the whereabouts of your kids, this parental control software can also be handy. There is an interactive map that will allow you to locate your kids. You can also receive an automatic notification when the user leaves or arrives in a known location.
- Family Requests: The rules don’t have to be set in stone. For instance, there are cases when kids might want to request for a longer screen time. When that happens, you can work with your kids to give way to their requests.
Things You Will Like
One of the things that you will love about Safe Family is that it is from McAfee, a company that has built a solid global reputation.
It is also well-loved by many because it is feature-rich, as mentioned above. It also covers cross-platform solutions for Android, iOS, and Windows PC.
You will also like the 30-day free trial that the manufacturer offers. This gives you the opportunity to see how it works before opting for a paid subscription.
Things You Might Not Like
Despite the features and benefits of McAfee Safe Family, there are some issues that might make you hesitate in choosing this over other options for parental control software.
There are some people who might not like that it isn’t browser independent. This means that the functions can change from one browser to another. There are also users who find it to be quite expensive.
Also, some were unhappy with how the mobile app can be quite slow and how it has limited functionalities when used in iOS devices compared to Android. Plus, it is not available for Mac users, so this will not work for those who are using MacBook.
Prices and Plans
As noted above, the price of McAfee Safe Family is one thing that might hinder you from choosing this software. Nonetheless, it will be worth every dollar especially because it is from a reputable company.
McAfee has straightforward plans. There are two options – one monthly and one annually. The monthly subscription is $7.99. The annual subscription, on the other hand, is $49.99. The features are the same regardless of the plan you will choose,
Conclusion
In sum, McAfee Safe Family can be expensive, but it is worth every dollar you will be spending. It is made by a reputable company, which can already provide you with peace of mind regarding its effectiveness. From limiting screen time to blocking apps, it can be functional in more ways than one, making the online world safer for kids.
