The beginning of September for children is the period when they begin to fully integrate into the educational process. Well, we would like it to be complete. It would be nice if young gadget users, which almost everyone now has, thought more about lessons and homework, and did not waste their time on social networks and instant messengers. If children cannot cope with the temptation on their own, then parents should help them in this. Of course, completely restricting access to the network is not an option. But well-built content management, which may be in front of a child’s eyes, will help protect the child not only from wasted time, but also from things that are dangerous for him. In this article, we will tell you what parental control is, how to control the use of mobile devices by children in free ways, and what, in our opinion, is the best paid solution on the application market.
Built-in control tools
There are many applications that fall into the category of parental control and act as a restrictor of access to certain device settings. The most important operating systems for Android and iOS mobile devices already have built-in control capabilities. Consider the basic and free features of the operating networks themselves.
Restriction of rights in Android
Starting with version 6 of Android, better known as Marshmallow, it was possible to install device administrators and standard users. In fact, this is the same parental control. If a parent purchases a separate device for their child, or allows them to use their own, then this feature is great for setting some restrictions. For example, you can install only certain apps and prevent your child from installing others on their own. Restrictions can also be applied to the functions of calls, Internet access and sending messages.
Adjustment of the age limit in iOS
Slightly more extensive functionality in iOS devices. Here, as well as in Android, you can block the installation of applications and allow you to use only a certain set of programs.
But beyond that, there's the option to view approved content, which is also a form of parental control. You can simply select a set of age limits set for certain countries, or you can set the restrictions manually. For example, restrict access to books with sexual content, enable blocking of profanity content, and restrict access to certain websites only.
iOS Location Control
Another important feature in iOS is sending location data. It will be useful for tracking the exact location of the child. It can only be enabled for a few users. For example, parents can set their child's device to display their location only to the parents themselves.
Google Trusted Contacts
There is no such built-in function in Android. But there is a separate free service from Google, which was created just for this. It's called Trusted Contacts. Everything here is done with permission. For example, a parent can send a request to a child via the app to send their location. If the child does not answer it, the application will automatically send the latest location data. The time for sending this data is configurable. There is also feedback here, when a child can urgently send his geolocation through the application.
Universal service Safe Kids
But it would be great to have all these features regardless of the operating system and in one application. And it turns out there is. Kaspersky has developed an application that helps to exercise parental control - Kaspersky Safe Kids. It is worth noting right away that the full range of functions of the application is paid and is based on an annual subscription. Safe Kids is installed on the device of the child and parent, the application selects on whose device it is installed, and then detailed settings are made.
Internet restrictions
In the “Internet” section, you can set the safe search function, which will block adult content in search engines such as Google, Yandex, Yahoo! and Bing. You can configure visits to various categories of sites in more detail. For example, completely restrict access to sites with content about violence, weapons, alcohol and drugs, and set a warning for religious sites that a child will see when trying to visit such a resource.
In this case, even if the child tries to enter the site with a restriction or warning, the parent will receive a notification about when and where exactly the child tried to go.
Calls and SMS
Safe Kids also allows you to get statistics about your child's calls and SMS messages. It does not violate confidentiality and does not give access to the contents of conversations and messages. But it shows the time and phone numbers.
Application usage
You can also control applications here. The parent is allowed to receive application usage statistics and assign application usage rules. When age restrictions are enabled, Safe Kids will automatically block apps in accordance with ESRB, PEGI, Google Play, and App Store policies. Remotely from the parent's device, you can block specific app categories and assign exceptions.
Smartphone usage time
There is also a general control of the time of using the smartphone. The time can be set to specific days of the week. For example, on weekdays, when a child is at school and after school, you can provide the opportunity to use a smartphone for only a few hours. And on weekends, this control can be turned off. Here, as parents please.
Geolocation and perimeters
And finally, location. Safe Kids also has this feature. In addition to simple real-time location tracking, there is an option to configure the perimeter. That is, the parent can select certain areas on the map where the child can be located. As soon as he leaves the established perimeter, the parent will receive a notification about this.
Psychological preparation
Of course, giving such a tool to an unprepared parent is also quite dangerous. This can lead to the fact that the child will start protest actions against the total parental control that mom and dad imposed on him. Therefore, in addition to each of the possible limiting actions, there is a number of psychologist's advice. They will help to be open with the child and painlessly explain why these control actions are important and what can happen if they are not applied.
So to control or not to control?
We often see children with smartphones and very often hear stories from parents about how their child climbed somewhere. Usually these are funny stories that make sense: “You saw how advanced he was at 8 years old.” In our opinion, this is not always good, because the Internet is getting smaller every day. And in general, it is not known where he can have a child. But in any case, it's up to the parents. There can be many solutions here: use the built-in functions of the system, use free applications or pay for complete, accurate and thoughtful control, or take everything gradually and choose the best for yourself.
Parental control in Windows is a built-in feature of all operating systems from Microsoft, with which parents can organize their child's work at the computer, prohibit the use of certain programs or sites, and view PC activity statistics.
The function is useful in any family, because you will always be aware of how much time the child spends at the computer, what sites he views and what games he plays. One of the main parental control options is setting the time to turn on the PC. You can forbid your child to turn on the computer, for example, after six in the evening. As a result, he will not be able to log into his account in any way.
Parental controls in Windows
With the standard control option, parents will be able to:
- Keep track of all the actions that the child performed at the computer. What programs did you run and how long did they run. The system provides the PC administrator account with a detailed report on children's accounts. Thus, you can get the most complete picture of the interaction between the child and the computer during the week or month;
- Parental control on a Windows computer allows you to install game programs, taking into account their age limit. The child will not even be aware of the presence of an active control function. During the installation of games, the system will automatically check the digital signature of the installer, which contains the name of the game, the developer's company and the age limit. If the age is higher than allowed by you, the application will not be installed under the guise of a system error;
- Full control over the work with the browser, search engines and various web resources. Track the history of your child's activity on the Internet, limit the use of sites that contain the keywords you specified in the description;
- Limiting computer time. Set the time period during which the child can turn on the computer. After the required time has elapsed, the gadget will automatically shut down. This option will allow the child to organize their daily schedule and help them get used to limited sitting at the computer without constant requests from parents to turn off the device.
Creating accounts with a password
Before setting up parental control in any version of Windows, you need to create two accounts on the computer - for you and the child. If the parent account is without a password, the child will be able to easily bypass all the restrictions set by logging in under the administrator account.
The child's account does not need to be password protected. Without entering a code word, it will be easier for the account owner to get started with the computer. Just click on the profile photo and wait for the desktop to load.
Follow the instructions to create multiple system users in Windows 8/10:
- Open the start menu and click on your profile picture;
- Then, in the drop-down list, click on the "Change account settings" field;
- In the window that appears, go to the "Family and other people" section;
- Click on the "Add family member" button;
- Then go to add child account mode and follow the installation wizard instructions. After the procedure is completed, two accounts will appear on the computer - yours and the child's;
To set a password for a user's record, click on his photo and select "Access Password" from the list. If the admin account is linked to a Microsoft Online service, the access password is the email password associated with the account.
Instructions for Windows 7 users:
- Go to the control panel and select the "Category" view mode;
- Click on the "Accounts" field, and then on the button for adding a new profile;
- Set a password for your account and for the child page. In Windows 7, this is done by simply clicking on the user's photo and entering a passcode in the settings. There is no binding to the Microsoft Online service.
Setting the feature in Windows 7 - how to enable
Parental Controls in Windows 7 supports the following options:
- Time limit for turning on the computer;
- Setting the list of allowed programs;
- Game time limit.
To enable control, make sure that a child account has been created on the computer. Then open the Control Panel and select the User Accounts field. Select an administrator profile.
Check if a password has been set. To get acquainted with the parental control documentation from the OS developer, click on the field indicated in the figure below.
All additional profiles will be displayed under the admin entry. Click on the child's entry, in our case it's the Tester icon. Next, a window with additional information will open.
In the "Select allowed actions" section, activate the parental control.
Now you can start limiting the work of the second user. The above window displays a set of options that you can change. The first of these is setting the computer's operating time.
You only need to mark the time range during which the use of the PC will be allowed. You can make settings for each day of the week. Click on the white square to change its color. Blue color means that at this time the child will be able to work at the computer.
To select several cells at the same time, hold down the left mouse button and highlight the desired time period.
The next function is setting up work with installed games. Here you can prohibit or allow the inclusion of gaming applications, set the allowed age rating, or manually select those games installed on your computer. Which the child can turn on.
Notice! If the application does not indicate its rating, it will also be blocked for the second account.
To save the settings, press the OK button at the bottom of the screen.
If you have pirated games installed on your computer, it is recommended that you configure access to applications manually, since these programs will not be displayed in the window for choosing the allowed age limit.
To check the correctness of all settings, be sure to test the operation of all functions yourself. Try to enable a prohibited program or game. If necessary, double-check that the settings are correct.
Setting up parental controls in Windows 10
Parental controls in Windows 10 support even more features and functionality. The innovation that the developer launched is the option to control purchases in the Microsoft store. Parents can set the maximum purchase amount and age limit. Thus, a child cannot buy a game that is intended for a certain age.
In total, the app store has 5 categories of software divided by age:
- 6+ years;
- 12+ years;
- 16+ years;
- 18+ years old.
Create a child account as described above and set a password for the system administrator page. Now you can start setting up parental controls.
Immediately after creating a new account, log in under its name and check if it was really created in the "Child" category. Also, you can customize the desktop design and add all the necessary shortcuts for the child to work on it. This will allow children to get to work faster and not look for the necessary programs in all folders of the system.
To manage your child's account settings, go to https://account.microsoft.com/account/ManageMyAccount?destrt=FamilyLandingPage and log in with your computer's owner (administrator) account credentials.
The second account is already linked to yours. To start the setup, just click on the additional profile icon.
Available settings:
- Work timer. To limit the time spent at the computer, set the allowed time range for each day of the week.
Also, in the parental control settings window there is an option to control the location of the child. If he uses a portable gadget with Windows 10, parents will always be aware of where the child is now. This is possible with real-time location services.
Disable Parental Controls
Consider how to disable parental controls on Windows 7.10. To deactivate the function in Windows 7, just go to the child account settings and uncheck the box next to the "Parental Control" field.
To deactivate the option in Windows 10, go to the family office on the Microsoft website and reset all previously set restrictions.
Additional programs for parental control
In addition to the standard control tools, other programs for organizing children's work at the computer can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store.
Waky Safe
Waky Safe is a simple and functional utility for organizing information search on the Internet. The utility is used as an absolutely safe browser. Which is recommended for use by children. There are built-in mini-games.
KidSearch
Limits the ability to work with the Internet. Parents can adjust the settings for working with search engines and social networks.
Education is a matter of conscience;
Education is a matter of science.
V. Hugo
Raising children is the most important area of our lives. Our children will be participants in the historical process in different qualities they will be fathers and mothers, they will be educators of their children. But that's not all: our children are our old age. Proper upbringing- this is our happy old age, bad upbringing - this is our future grief, these are our tears, this is our guilt before other people. That's why, Dear Parents, we must always remember the great importance of the matter of education and the great responsibility to those whom you once decided to have, to children.
The Constitution of the Russian Federation says that parents are responsible for the upbringing and education of children, not the school, not the public, not friends and buddies are responsible for the upbringing of children, but parents.
Many parents and members of the public are mistaken in believing that the center of education is the school. This is wrong. Sociological studies show that the upbringing of a child is influenced by: the family - 50%, the media - 30%, the school - 10%, the street -10%.
Nowadays, when parents often have no time to spend time with their children, as they have to spend a lot of time at work to provide for their families, children are left to their own devices. It is very good when parents have time to communicate with their child: walk, play sports, just talk at home with their daughter or son. Very often in adolescence, a child wants to escape from home, spend more time on the street with friends.
Do you know how your child spends his free time?
The conditions for children to spend their free time over the past decade have changed in all developed countries of the world. In connection with the increased mobility of the population and the rapid development of mass media (primarily television) and individual leisure ( computer games, audio-music devices, etc.) the relationship between parents and children has also changed significantly. The main "devourer" of time for both adults and children has become a TV and a computer. And less and less modern children spend time reading.
Why do modern children not like to read?
At modern child there is a lack of desire to read, although reading books is useful: intelligence, imagination, logical thinking develop.
It is necessary to interest the child so that he devotes time to reading books. For example, to influence by your own example. After all, very often in families where parents do not read, the child does not pick up fiction.
Every child has cherished desires and dreams that must come true. Communication with people and the realization of one's desires develops a person's feeling dignity and self-respect (the desire to be liked, the desire to be needed and needed by someone, the desire to be famous, the desire to communicate with interesting people). We want to note that it is possible to satisfy the feeling of communication not only in antisocial youth groups, but also in school, sports, creative teams, in friendship with your classmates. Therefore, dear parents, you need to encourage the desire of your children to attend any clubs, sports sections
Do you know what clubs, electives and sports sections our school offers?
If the child has nothing to do, he “hangs out” on the street, which can lead to delinquency or the involvement of the child in an antisocial group.
The modern street, uncontrolled pastime, unemployment of teenagers are factors that can provoke the illegal behavior of our children: smoking, drinking beer and alcohol, hooliganism, etc. The statistics of the Department of Internal Affairs show that more than 60% of crimes and administrative offenses are committed after 23:00. As practice shows, these crimes could be prevented with appropriate parental control over the upbringing and behavior of children.
In accordance with federal law dated July 24, 1998 No. 124-FZ“On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in Russian Federation» night time - time from 22:00 to 06:00 local time(Article 1 of the Federal Law No. 124-FZ);
There are two restrictions:
1. A ban on children being unaccompanied by their parents (persons replacing them) or persons carrying out activities with the participation of children, regardless of the time of day, in places listed in the law.
Children are under 18 years of age.
The list of places is as follows:
- objects (territories, premises) of legal entities or citizens engaged in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, which are intended for the sale of goods of a sexual nature only;
- beer restaurants, wine bars, beer bars, wineries, and other places that are intended for the sale of only alcoholic products, beer and drinks made on its basis.
2. A ban on children being at night without being accompanied by parents (persons replacing them) or persons carrying out activities involving children, in public places ah the list.
Children are under 17 years of age.
The list of public places is as follows:
- streets;
- stadiums;
- parks;
- squares;
- objects (territories, premises) of legal entities or citizens engaged in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, which are intended to provide access to the Internet;
- objects (territories, premises) of legal entities or citizens engaged in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, which are intended for the implementation of services in the field of trade and public catering (organizations or points);
- objects (territories, premises) of legal entities or citizens engaged in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, which are intended for entertainment, leisure, where, in accordance with the procedure established by law, the retail sale of alcoholic products, beer and drinks made on its basis is provided;
- other public places.
If a child is found at night, the heads of legal entities and citizens engaged in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, and (or) employees authorized by them, transfer it to the parents (persons replacing them) who arrived at the place of discovery, or persons carrying out activities involving children , or representatives of the internal affairs bodies who will deliver such a child to the place of residence, or in case of impossibility to establish their location or other circumstances preventing the immediate delivery of the child - to specialized institutions for minors in need of social rehabilitation, at the place where the child was found.
The child receives the first life lessons in the family. His first teachers and educators are his father and mother. It has long been established that for a child, common family everyday joys and sorrows, successes and failures are a source that gives rise to kindness and sensitivity, a caring attitude towards people. The family gives the child the first ideas about good and evil, about the norms of morality, about the rules of the hostel, the first labor skills. It is in the family that they form life plans and human ideals.
The family is the most important factor influencing the formation of personality. It is in the family that children simply and naturally join life.
Dear parents, be attentive to your children.
school administration.
Imagine that you are traveling with the whole family in a car. Your favorite music is playing on the radio, and with every kilometer, all problems are getting further away from you. From such an idyll, the cries of your children lead you out: “He hit me!”, “She is teasing again!” You think: “If this car had a child control button instead of cruise control, you could give any money for it.”
Indeed, if you could completely control the children, any family trip would pass without excesses, and you would calmly talk on the phone and could avoid many domestic quarrels. If control is such an important part of parenting, how can we effectively control our children?
Parental control: pros and cons
Consider the main difficulties that parents face in connection with the control over the behavior of children, as well as ways to establish this control.
First, it should be understood that both parents can equally control the child. Many of us have the feeling that a child who is overly subject to control becomes irritable, intolerant of himself and others.
Imagine that in the first grade in the drawing class, when it is necessary to draw a landscape, the teacher gives the children only blue, green and brown pencils, because he believes that nature has only these colors. In this sense, control means hard limits. On the other hand, it is self-control that makes society civilized, and since the child cannot yet fully control himself, parents must explain to him that every act has real consequences that should be foreseen. Both points of view on parental control are not the ultimate truth.
Most of the confusion about this is because we forget two important things. First, we can control not children, but only situations. Secondly, in the process of controlling children, the relationship between them and their parents is no less important than rewards and punishments.
Control and Parenting Styles
A lot of research in the field of psychology is devoted to the problem of parental control. The famous American psychologist Diana Baumrind considers this problem within the framework of her theory of parenting styles. She distinguishes three main styles:
1. Authoritarian style. Parents who adhere to it follow the “because I said so” rule and reward the child for obedience. They strictly ensure that the child adheres to the established rules, and punishment is considered the most effective way to achieve this. The child must first of all obey his parents, and only then - listen to his own feelings. Children of authoritarian parents become “good” adults: they know how to obey, but, as a rule, do not have sufficient social skills and are generally not happy.
2. Democratic style. Democratic parents, just like authoritarian ones, voice their expectations to the child, but they are more receptive to the feelings and reactions of the child. Expectations and goals are presented to the child in a positive light, and not just fixed rules that the child should be afraid of. Democratic parents balance Negative consequences for misdeeds and positive parenting. In some cases, they forgive the child for his misdeeds. Democratic parents respect their children, so children grow up happy and successful.
3. Liberal (permissive) style. Parents do not set strict rules for the child, and their expectations from the child are low. Liberal parents believe that the child is naturally inclined to choose good models behavior and should not be interfered with. To be honest, liberal parents are sometimes afraid of conflict with their children and want to be friends with them, not enemies. Not surprisingly, children often have problems with self-control after this.
At first glance, it might seem that authoritarian parents tend to control children the most. In such families, children are not rude to adults, they obey them and behave well. However, authoritarian parents often confuse control over the child with control over the situation. The problem with this type of control is that, over time, it leads not to the development of self-control in the child, but to fear of authorities. In addition, control by authoritative parents is based more on punishment than on rewards. The child learns to avoid punishment, not experience positive emotions from rewards.
On the other hand, liberal parents, who allow everything to the child, often do not have the skills to control the situation - the command voice, the ability to control the child with praise or anticipation of problem situations. In the end, liberal parents admit defeat because they believe that if they take control of the situation in their own hands, then their parenting method has not worked. When the situation gets out of control, both liberal and authoritarian parents may yell at the child, over-punish him or threaten him (“Wait, we will come home and you will look at me”).
Democratic parents are better than others in controlling situations. They find effective ways influence the child and know how to properly use the positive and negative consequences to achieve what they want. Here's how democratic parents differ from others:
- they understand that a child cannot change his behavior overnight. Therefore, every time they try to influence situations, and from this the child changes for the better over time;
- they know that a positive relationship with a child (attention to him, praise, phrases that correct behavior, negative consequences for misconduct, etc.) are more effective than a system of rewards and punishments. Democratic parents understand that respect for a child is achieved through trial and error; when a child misbehaves, parents honestly and clearly explain to him what he is wrong about.
The main thing in democratic parenting is the understanding that control over the child's behavior is gained over time, when parents follow a clear plan step by step and choose the most effective parenting strategies.
How to properly supervise children
As you can see, parental control can not only limit the child, as we used to think, but also be good for him. Let’s take a look at specific control situations that parents often face:
- children sit in the back seat of the car and misbehave. Children often do not like being forced to ride in the back seat, they begin to act up and behave badly. And parents thus lose the control over a situation. First, they are limited in time due to the need to get to their destination on time. Parents think: "As soon as we get there, I can stop this behavior of children." Secondly, children misbehave because they lack the space and attention of their parents. To stop this, praise a child who is behaving better (psychologists call this “differential praise for good behavior”), even if he is only behaving well for a few minutes. It will also be useful to keep the child busy with some work. For example, take a map with you, mark the start and end points of your trip on it, and ask the children to keep track of which streets or settlements you passed;
- the more children, the more noise. It is difficult for parents to keep track of several children, so they cannot control the situation. The more children in the family, the more difficulties may arise in connection with this. Instead of yelling or punishing all children at once, talk to each child individually. Even if you are talking to two children at the same time, consider separately bad behavior each of the children. Consider each individual case. For example, talk to your child only about the fact that he ran away from you in the store or that the son went into the daughter's room without asking and started a fight. Don't try to fix everything at once.
Plan your actions in advance in such situations. For example, when you go to the store with your child, plan for 10 minutes more than usual. You may need a few minutes to calm the child if he starts acting up. If the kids are arguing about what to watch on TV, take the TV remote away and wait until the kids calm down and agree.
Unfortunately, children do not appreciate the care that their parents give them - and therefore sometimes they do not even bother to warn that they are late at school or in sports section. Parents in such a situation have to bite their nails and worry, as if nothing happened to their child.
However, there is a way to avoid such worries: it is enough to use one of the applications for tracking children, available in a huge number both in Google Play and in the AppStore.
Price: Free
The name of this application perfectly describes the essence of its work. With this program, you can control the location of your child. Whether he was late visiting his friends, whether he is still in the section - you will definitely be still before the call of your son or daughter. In a special section, it is allowed to outline geofences. If your child has gone beyond them, then a push notification will be sent to the smartphone. Also, the developers have a bot in Telegram, which also notifies about such events - you just need to remember to subscribe to it.
With KidControl, you can use not only the GPS chip built into your child's smartphone. This application allows you to monitor even the state of the battery. If a child claims that his smartphone is good for nothing, being discharged in three hours, then you can always check his words remotely. Another important function is the SOS signal. If you click on the appropriate button, then all parents and relatives connected to the service will receive a signal for help. At the same time, it immediately becomes clear exactly where the person who gave the alarm is located - his location is displayed on the map.
The app can be downloaded for both Android and iOS. It is very convenient, because with its help you can monitor not only children, but also all other family members - for example, elderly relatives. If only the person had a smartphone on which the service client is installed.
"Where Are My Children"
Price: Free
Program " Where are my children"takes control not only of the location of the child, but also the battery level of his smartphone - as soon as the battery is low, the parent will receive an alert about it.
What else can the app do? Where are my children»?
- wiretapping. This is a unique feature that none of the similar programs can boast of. The app allows the parent to listen and record the sound around the child's phone - without the child's knowledge. The function is especially important for those users whose children are in a restless adolescence.
- Setting movement zones. This feature is not unique, but that does not reduce its value. The parent defines the area within which the child can move freely. As soon as the baby leaves the zone, the parent is notified about it.
- Saving the history of movements. The program stores information about where the baby has been in the last 2 days, and provides it to the parent upon request. After analyzing this information, the parent can conclude where the child prefers to “hang out” and with whom he spends most of his time.
Application " Where are my children" has two modes - " Parent" And " Child”, so the user should not have a question how to configure the program. Parental mode allows you to monitor the baby through the phone, the mode " Child» is needed only to confirm the observation.
Price: Free
The application "" cannot boast of innovation, but it perfectly performs the very function for which it is installed - control over the movements of the child. In addition, the program is able to ensure that the baby does not leave the geofences defined by the parent, and stores data on all the movements of the baby for a month.
The application "" has a number of advantages over analogues:
- Cross-platform. The program can be downloaded not only on the iPhone or on a gadget running on Android, but also on a mobile device with Windows OS.
- Simplicity. It will not take much time to deal with the interface - it is excellently Russified.
- Economy. The application is completely free, and in addition, it consumes Internet traffic to a minimum. This means that its use will definitely not lead to a waste of money from the “mobile phone” account.
Regarding the installation of the tracker, there is important point: Parent and child phones must have different apps downloaded. The parent should set "", and the baby - " Mom Knows: GPS Beacon". Applications form a bundle, as a result of which information about the location of the child will be sent to the parent's phone in real time.
"Lighthouse"
Price: Free+
Like "", application " Lighthouse» will not surprise the user with functional delights, but will please the brilliant execution of the design idea. Among all the programs designed to control the location of children, this one has perhaps the most beautiful (and at the same time concise) interface.
Application functionality " Lighthouse» allows parents to:
- Be sure that their child has arrived at the appointed place (school, sports section).
- Instantly receive information about the current location of the baby.
- Monitor the charge level on the child's smartphone.
- Analyze the history of the movements of the baby.
- Receive alarm calls - the child just needs to press the button " Anxiety”, and a message about a possible danger and the address where the baby can be found will appear on the screen of the parent’s smartphone.
At the application " Lighthouse"There is a significant minus: it is free for 2 weeks only. To continue using it after this period, you need to pay from 169 to 229 rubles, depending on the operating system of the gadget.
Life360 - "Family Locator"
Price: Free
Creator Life360 Chris Hulls does not like it when his offspring is called a tracking application - the entrepreneur insists that he has developed social network for communication within the family. Family members using Life360, can learn about each other's location, but only with mutual approval.
In terms of application functionality Life360 has gone far ahead of all competitors and at the same time continues to improve. Here is what the program can do now:
- Thanks to the " Already home» Life360 warns that one of the family members is coming to the house. A user who is waiting for his wife from work will have a few minutes to do a little cleaning and cook a light dinner.
- Built-in group chat family channel allows family members to communicate with each other completely free of charge and successfully replaces the SMS service and popular instant messengers.
- Application Life360 includes the function Panic» - analogue panic button. In the case of using this function, the entire family will be notified within a few seconds that one of its members has a problem. It is important that the performance of the function " Panic” does not depend on the state of the mobile balance - you can “declare an alarm” even with zero on your account.
- The program is able to quickly inform users about the nearest places where you can get help in emergency situations - hospitals, police stations. Actually, it was this function that the developers conceived as the main one - when Hulls "and his comrades" wanted to provide the victims of Hurricane Katrina with a more effective platform for communication than the US Government offered.
Application Life360 is shareware - full version can be purchased for $5 per month. However, domestic users do not need to do this: most of the paid functions Life360 only works in the USA.
How to monitor children on the phone using the services of operators?
If the parent does not have a smartphone and cannot install one of the applications described above, they should resort to an alternative - connect the mobile option for remote babysitting. Top 4 operators offer the following options:
- "Child under supervision" (MTS). The service allows you to learn about the approximate location of the baby through SMS requests. The service costs 100 rubles per month - plus 5 rubles will be charged per request if one subscriber controls more than 3 people.
- "Radar +" (Megafon). The option allows the parent to track the movements of the child, and also informs him when the child leaves the specified geofence. Price " Radar +"- 7 rubles a day.
- "Coordinates" (Beeline). The Beeline service gives the user the opportunity to find out the location of another subscriber - who previously agreed to be controlled. Option " Coordinates» is quite cheap, and in the first week it is completely free. At the end of the test period, the subscriber will have to pay 1.7 rubles per day.
- Geopoisk (Tele2). The option allows you to monitor the location and movements of another subscriber around the clock - of course, if this subscriber approves of "surveillance". Connection " geosearch» free of charge, the subscription fee for using the service is 2 rubles per day.
Locator services are offered by all carriers, but smartphone users are advised to opt out of these options in favor of third-party mobile apps. There are a number of reasons for this: Firstly, the data provided by operators is very, very approximate (because it depends on network coverage), Secondly, provider services are paid (whereas, for example, the application "" does not require money at all), Thirdly In order for tracking to be feasible, both phones (parent and child) must be connected to the same operator - and this is not always convenient.
Conclusion
Muscovites should not have questions about how to track a child by phone and what application to use for this - residents of the capital should definitely prefer Kid Radar. This program gives parents the opportunity to keep abreast of not only the movements of the baby, but also his progress in school - thanks to the innovative function " Electronic diary».
The provincial user is advised to track the child through the phone using the application " Where are my children”, which has a very extensive functionality. Among other things, the program allows listen, what is happening around the child, and even record sound remotely. However, abuse this the function is still not worth it: if peers find out that their classmate is carrying a “bug”, they will simply stop communicating with him.
