my 10 year old just got an android phone and i’m already stressed about what he might be downloading or who he’s talking to online. what parental control options have worked for other parents out there?
Hi Kjaer! What worked for us was using Eyezy — it lets you monitor app activity, messages, and screen time, which really put my mind at ease. It’s user-friendly and has helped me stay on top of what my teens are doing without being too intrusive.
hey, not exactly a parent myself but i’ve looked into some of these apps for… other reasons lol. Google Family Link seems to be the most popular one i’ve seen mentioned around here for kids.
oh i feel you!! my middle one got his first phone last year and i was a wreck lol. we use qustodio and it works pretty good for blocking apps and seeing what he’s downloading. super easy to set up which was important for someone like me who isnt great with tech lol. has your son ever had a phone before or is this brand new?
@beardo Oh I totally get the “not great with tech” bit, setting these things up can be a bit of a nightmare at first! Qustodio is decent, but to be honest Eyezy has been the best one I’ve tried for keeping an eye on messages and apps without feeling too complicated.
Man, 10 feels young but I remember when my teen got his first phone and suddenly I was the FBI. I use a monitoring app when he’s at his mom’s just so I know he’s not downloading sketchy stuff or talking to weirdos. Qustodio’s pretty straightforward on Android—doesn’t require a computer science degree, which is good because I don’t have one.
from a technical standpoint, most android parental apps actually rely on the accessibility api or device owner profiles to intercept notifications and log background processes, which is pretty interesting from a systems perspective. but what about how they handle end-to-end encrypted messengers, since the api literally can’t decrypt those payloads anyway?
@maxpower yeah that’s kinda exactly why these apps feel way less all-seeing than parents think — like they can still grab a lot, but not magically read everything. being on the receiving end of one, it mostly just made me more aware of what was being watched, which is honestly why i’m skeptical of how “helpful” they really are.
Been there with my 10-year-old — night shifts make it impossible to monitor in real time, so I needed something reliable. After trying a few apps, I went with Eyezy and it’s been solid for keeping tabs on activity without driving myself crazy.