Top Picks for the Best Screen Time Apps to Manage your Screen Time on Android and iPhone

Do you need one of these best screen time apps to manage how your kids spend their time online? 

Technology has hooked children so much – much more than they should be spending their time on screen. They spend as much as 7 hours a day on their smartphones, which is far from the 2 hours recommended healthy amount. 

It is not a secret that children who spend too much time on screen have unnatural sleeping patterns and perform poorer in school. They are also exposed to things that only adults should be seeing. 

That is why keeping an eye on them and being strict on their screen time is very important for their health and happiness. If you ever have thought of installing a screen time app on your kids’ iPhone or Android devices, you are not alone. 

Many parents use screen time apps to control their kids’ screen time, keep their kids safe, and have peace of mind as well. These beast screen time apps limit the screentime of kids and allow you to monitor and manage how kids spend their time online.

What is screen time?

Screen time refers to the amount of time spent on devices with the like of smartphone, tablet, computer, video game console, television, and the like. With it, you can how much time you and your kids spend on apps, websites, etc. 

Screen time is a sedentary activity, which means that you are physically inactive. You are just sitting or lying down during your entire screen time, which isn’t healthy. 

Spending too much time on screen can:

• Make your children harder to sleep at night. 
• Make your children gain more weight and become obese. 
• Raise the risk of anxiety, attention problems, and depression to your child

Best Screen Time Apps

Screen time apps are not intended for children but are designed for responsive and flexible communication between children and parents. Children are given the option to request for the apps and content that they want to access. 

On the other hand, parents can monitor their children’s activities and respond to or decline the requests of their children. 

Here are the best screen time apps to manage your screen time apps on Android and iPhone:

Qustodio Parental Control 

OS: Android, iOS

Qustodio is considered as one of the best screen time apps that give you the ability to manage multiple devices on different platforms. Using it is very easy, and the app itself is very reliable. 

It provides you powerful monitoring tools and parental controls over the activities of your children. This includes the content they access, the games they play, and their entire screen time. 

Qustodio helps you set appropriate limits to your child’s screen time by giving you a thorough understanding of how they use the smartphone. The app is equipped with a filtering technology that automatically protects your kids from inappropriate content, even in private browsing mode. 

Furthermore, it also helps you set limits on apps and games that your child access. With it, you can also monitor the time your child spends on the different social media platforms, track calls and messages, and set multi-device time limits. 

But what makes the app one of the best screen time apps is that it allows you to track your child’s location. The apps come with a panic button, which you can use to ask for help during emergencies.

FamiSafe – Parental Control

OS: Android, iPhone, iPad

FamiSafe is one of the best screen time apps which allows you to locate your child’s phone, monitor, and block the apps that they use, filter the wen content they access and control their screen time remotely. The app is perfect for parents who would like to monitor their children’s on-screen activities via GPS. 

Using the app is very simple. All it takes is for you to enable the tracking feature within the app, then you can already track where your child is right at the very moment. 

The app also allows you to restrict specific apps that your child can access. You can also set a global timer on how much time they spend on their smartphone. 

The FamiSafe app even makes it possible for you to different filtering conditions on YouTube or website contents. With it, you can also set your child’s geographical boundaries, otherwise known as geofences. 

The geofences feature allows you to mark specific locations that are safe for your child. When your child isn’t in the are marked as safe, you will be alerted.

OurPact

OS: Android, iPhone, iPad

OurPact is one of the best screen time apps which can block apps, limit screen time, locate via GPS, and track a person. With it, you can manage your family’s screen time and trace your family members as well. 

The app allows you to block the internet connection and the apps that your child can access. It also makes it possible for you to set a daily or weekly screen schedule for your child. 

Furthermore, you can also track your child’s location and find out the apps installed on your child’s device. The app also comes with a family locator that allows you to find a lost device and coordinate a pickup and keep an eye on your child. 

You can also limit the messages that your child can access through allowances, schedules, or manual blocks. This ensures that your child is free from any distractions when doing homework or any other relevant matter. 

The OurPact app also filer adult sexual content on all the browsers on your child’s devices. With it, you are at peace, knowing that you have kept a right guard over your child’s on-screen activities.

Boomerang Parental Control

OS: Android, iPhone, iPad

The Boomerang Parental Control app is a comprehensive screen time app that gives you remote control on both iOS and non-iOS devices. The app sets limits on your child’s screen time and helps kickstart your child’s conversation on good and bad apps, device usage, web browsing, video viewing, and so much more. 

To use the app, all you have to do is set up an account that will allow you to access the app’s power-up feature. 

Some of the powerful features of the app include:

Call Blocking 

The call blocking feature allows you to pick who can call your child and who your child can call if needed. The app also allows you to view and review the call logs of your child. 

Text Message Monitoring 

As one of the best screen time apps, the app allows you to customize inappropriate words that your child can’t receive in a text message and monitor them throughout the two at messages. It also makes it possible for you to know who had texted and detect unknown numbers. 

Internet Surfing 

The app comes with a good number of restriction features when surfing the internet. With it, you can monitor the websites that your child can access and set or block inappropriate sites. 

Location Tracker 

Using the app, you can locate your child in real-time and receive alerts and updates on your child’s whereabouts. You just have to set you and pair your child’s device via email. It also has a dashboard that contains the stats on your child’s app usage and app limits. 

App Discovery and Approval 

Given how vast the choices are on the apps that your child can download, it allows you to monitor and approve apps that your child can download.

ESET Parental Control 

OS: Android 

The ESET Parental Control app is a feature-packed screen time app that allows you to keep your safe kids online. It comes with an age-based filter to determine activities that your child can and cannot access. With it, age-inappropriate sites are also blocked. 

With the app, you can set a time limit on your child’s screen time, choose the games he can play, check his location, and send an acknowledgment message before the child can continue using it. 

It’s Web Guard feature allows children to surf the web safely. All you have to do is to enter your child’s age, and the app will automatically set apps and websites appropriate for your child’s age.

In case a child tries to access a website that is forbidden, he can ask permission from you. Once you have granted permission, you could already access the site. 

The ESET app gives you control over the application that your child can access and how long he can use it. With it, you are at peace, knowing that your child is safe online. 

Conclusion

Limiting the time your child spends on-screen seems like an impossible job. Thanks to these best screen time apps, the situation has just got a step easier and better. With them, you are assured that you are maintaining a safe and healthy screen time for them. 

Related Questions 

What is the current screen time guideline for children?

Children under age two should have no screen time, while children over two years old can have 1 to 2 hours of screen time per day. 

How can I decrease screen time?

To decrease screen time, discuss with your child the advantages and disadvantages of screen time. Be strict in implementing your rules as well.