Smartphones and other technological devices have become a most influential part of our lives. It connects us with the internet and social media, which is an entirely different world in itself.
Although access to the internet has so many significant advantages, it also exposes kids to online risks like online bullying, identity theft, exposure to explicit content, online threats, and much more.
All these problems have been a significant topic of concern for all parents, especially teenagers. So, to tackle these inevitable problems, there are parental control apps that help you monitor and limit your kid’s access to the devices.
ESET is one of the best android-based parental control apps that allows you to keep a check on your kid’s online life. It is specially made for android users, so it is not compatible with iOS and Mac.
The most powerful feature of this app is web filtering, which is very important to safeguard your kids from getting exposed to inappropriate internet content.
One major drawback of this app is its inability to track texts and phone calls. However, this is a scope of addition of this feature in future updated versions.
The ESET parental control app has a plethora of features, and I’ve listed each one below. Let’s have a look.
Features of ESET
Limiting Screen Time
In this digital age, parent’s primary concern is protecting their kids from becoming addicted to technology. Once they’re addicted, there’s no turning back. So, it is better to be safe than sorry.
There is a feature in the ESET parental control app that allows you to limit your children’s screen time. You can set aside a specific time in a day for them to use their devices, and they’re allowed to use it for that permitted time only.
You can set a time limit for each app individually. For instance, you can devote more screen time to educational apps than any social media networks or any games.
And if the kids try to use the device for more than the estimated time, then they’ll receive a warning sign, and even you’ll receive a notification alert.
Application Management
The ESET parental control includes an in-built feature that manages the applications based on the user’s age. It categorizes the apps as appropriate, inappropriate, or fun and games.
ESET always allows the appropriate apps while blocking the inappropriate ones. And apps marked as fun and games are just for the refreshment of the kids.
If the built-in categories don’t suit your needs, you can manually pick and block applications that are suitable and unsafe for your children.
Web Content Filtering
Like in application management, the ESET parental control also has an in-built feature that filters the web content as per the user’s age. For instance, if your kid is below 13, the app will automatically block all the adult contents.
Alternatively, you can manually choose from 35 different categories whether or not it is suitable for your children by merely giving a thumbs up or thumbs down.
If the children attempt to visit the blocked sites, they will receive an alert message and be unable to proceed.
Tracks Location and Has Geofencing
The ESET parental control app not only provides location tracking but also has a geofencing feature. The location tracking feature works exactly as it sounds; you have to go to Google Maps, showing you your child’s precise location. This feature also allows you to locate your device if it is misplaced.
Geofencing is the advanced and extended version of location tracking. It allows you to create a list of specific places on a map, and it will instantly alert you if your kids are in that area.
This way, you will still know where your children are, and if they are in a prohibited or dangerous location, you can protect them ahead of time.
Provides Activity Reports
This feature shows you a detailed report of all the actions that they’ve performed on their devices. If you are a free member, this will give you a breakdown of your child’s activities in the last seven days or the last 30 days if you are a paid customer.
You can have a look at all the websites that they’ve visited along with the time. Also, the list of all the apps that your child has used each day, as well as the amount of time spent on each app during a given session.
It also shows a heat map for average web usage per day. And finally, the child’s usage of apps in the “Fun & Games” area.
SOS Button
This feature allows your child to give you a text message with a single touch. You must pre-configure the feature by inserting phone numbers for someone who should be texted if this button is pressed.
If the button is pressed, a text message will be sent to those in the list that simply says “SOS!” and includes a link to the child’s device’s current location.
Pricing
There are two categories in which the pricing of the ESET parental control is divided. That is freemium and premium versions.
As the name suggests, the freemium version is free of cost. A reasonable free app is available in this version, which includes an application guard, time limits, time budgets, and basic reports.
The premium version comes with two different multi-year subscriptions. The first one is for two years at the cost of $44.99. And another subscription is for three years at the cost of $59.99.
Pros of ESET
- Has solid web filtering.
- Availability of SOS button.
- Supports multiple devices on a single subscription.
- Easy setup process.
- Has amazing features like monitoring, reporting, and filtering.
- Limits screen time.
- A great location tracker.
Cons of ESET
- No text and call monitoring feature.
Installation and Setup
Take the steps below to install and customize the ESET app on your and your child’s devices:
- First, download the app on both the devices from the official site of the ESET app or the google play store. You can either choose a freemium version, or you can pay for your desired subscription.
- During installation, you have to choose an option between the child’s device and the parent device for both of your devices.
- You need to create an account to move further. So, add your credentials and create an account.
- Then you need to add your kid’s basic information like name, age, gender, and date of birth.
- In your child’s device, fill in all their information and log in.
- You can also customize settings as per your requirement or go ahead with the in-built settings.
- Link both the accounts and the app is ready to use.
Final Word
Parental control applications play an essential role in this generation, where parents are most concerned about their children’s online safety. Parental controls help you ensure that your children are not hooked to their smartphones and are safe at all times.
If you’re searching for an app that can tell you where your kids are and if they’re safe, then you can trust the ESET app with it.
Its main feature is its location-tracking abilities, and geofencing is a bonus point. Especially for working parents, it isn’t easy to keep track of your kids and where they’re going or returning from. However, with this app, you can know all these things with a single click.
But one of its major drawbacks is it does not support call and text monitoring. The unavailability of this feature is a significant disadvantage, but other essential features compensate for it.
It also has a free version that contains most of the features from the premium one. Even if you want to choose the premium version and enjoy all of the features, it is much less costly than other parental control apps.
