ESET Parental Control for Android
Take control of your kid’s app, internet and device use with this smart tool.
The ESET Parental Control setup process begins by creating a free ESET account; hand over your email address, choose a password and you’re done.
Install the Parental Control app on your child’s device, and it prompts you to create a simple profile for them: name, age, and an optional photo. Enter a PIN which enables you to change parental control settings on the device, and the app begins to protect you with its default settings.
Install the same app on your own device (ESET doesn’t have a separate app for parents), log in, and you’re able to view your child’s profile, its default settings and any recent activities.
If using the app isn’t convenient, you can also manage the service from any device via ESET’s web dashboard.
ESET’s Application Guard automatically blocks and restricts apps according to where your child fits in its four age categories: 0-7, 8-11, 12-17, 18+. That’s not many options, but it’s enough to get started, and you can fine-tune the system later, if necessary.
By default, for instance, the YouTube app is blocked for under12s, and kids have to wait until they’re 16 to use Netflix. But if that’s not right for you, you can block or unblock the app with a click.
Other apps can only be used for a specified amount of time. By default, our test nine-year-old could use time-limited apps for a total of 90 minutes on school days, 120 per non-school day. We could change these limits in 15-minute increments, though, and other apps – something educational, maybe relating to a hobby, where you’d like to encourage more use – can be set as unlimited.
ESET’s Web Guard module automatically blocks inappropriate sites for your child’s age, and enforces safe search to make it a little more difficult for them to find dubious content in the first place.
The default settings don’t try to do much more than block the most obvious site types: Adult, Alcohol and Tobacco, Criminal Activities, and so on. But if that’s an issue, you can opt to block or unblock other categories individually, or add custom exceptions (block this site, allow that one).
Open ESET’s Locator tab and you’ll find your child’s current location (or their device location, anyway) displayed on a map. This has street names and major locations highlighted, and there’s an optional satellite view, too.
Simple geofencing support allows you to set custom zones, common locations where your child is likely to be, or you’d prefer them not to be. Just choose a zone radius (100500m), tap a location on the map and give it a name: home, school, grandma’s, football, and so on. You’ll then get notifications when they arrive at or leave a zone.
ESET Parental Control doesn’t have the features to justify parting with any cash, but the free version’s excellent app management tools are worth a look, and there’s a 30-day trial of Premium features, too.
Mike Williams