Kaspersky Safe Kids Versus Norton Parental Controls
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Both Kaspersky Safe Kids and Norton Parental Controls offer great features that can allow you to keep your children safe on and offline. While each of these tools has its own unique benefits there are also differences between the two that parents should be aware of. Read our Kaspersky vs. Norton review so you can make an educated decision about which parental controls are right for your family’s needs.
- The Good
- Location help to track your kids
- Expert psychological help
- Monitors communications and online activity
- The Bad
- Limited browser support
- Not all features are available through the app
Kaspersky Safe Kids offers a lot of control to parents, all to help keep kids safe. When used properly, it can monitor and block or warn kids about restricted sites. It can also help with offline activities, helping you keep your kids available and in the safe zone. You can sign up for Kaspersky here.
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- The Good
- Automatically track Internet activity
- Help balance online and offline time
- Limit website access to safe and approved sites
- The Bad
- Social media support is limited
Norton Family Premier Parental Controls let you add a layer of security to all of your children’s online activities. From a single platform, you can monitor what they do on a home computer, tablet, smartphone or other portable devices. You can sign up for Norton here.
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- Price
- Free version
- Premium version for $14.99 per year
Kaspersky Safe Kids is one of the most affordable parental control solutions on the market. Not only does it offer a completely free version, but you can also get the expanded features at a fraction of the cost that some competitors charge.
- Price
- $49.99 per year
For an affordable price, you can add award-winning parental controls to virtually every internet-capable device with Norton Family Premier Parental Controls. This web-based service monitors and controls access remotely, so you don’t need to be in the room to monitor your children’s browsing habits.
- Features
- Site filter with blocking or warning
- Multiple user setups
- App management
- Usage time management
- Location settings
With the premium version of Kaspersky Safe Kids, you get a package that extends well beyond the digital world. You can monitor your child’s online activity, see text messages and monitor phone use. Set a safe boundary and you will be notified if your child leaves the area. You can even set “on” and “off” times for internet usage, so you know that the kids aren’t going online after lights out.
- Features
- Browser history tracking
- Automatic alerts
- Personal information protection
- Easy setup for restricted browsing
- Time monitoring and limitations
Norton Family Premier Parental Controls bring all of the features you want into a single platform. You can see what your kids are doing and when. Set limitations for what sites they can visit and limit their total daily time spent online.
- Remote Access
- Yes
Thanks to real-time notifications about suspicious activity, you can instantly respond to potential threats. Simply log in to your Kaspersky Safe Kids management account, and check any notifications or make changes to permissions. If you want to give temporary access to a specific website, you can. If you need to check and see where your child is, no problem. Kaspersky gives you access to all of the program features through a browser-based platform, making it available on the go.
- Remote Access
- Remote management
- Remote setting changes
- Remote abuse alerts
Anything you can do from your home computer, you can access through the online Norton Family Premier Parental Controls dashboard. The service is web-based, so as long as you have internet access, you can use all of the features remotely. If you notice a problem site, you can add it to the block list. If you see that your child has spent too much time playing online games and not enough on homework, you can remove access to game sites, all from anywhere and on the go.
- Supported Devices
- PCs
- Macs
- iPhone/iPad
- Android
Full Kaspersky functionality is only available on PC, Mac and Android. For iPhones and iPads, you can install age-appropriate filters that come preset. Unfortunately, due to the iOS operating system, it is not possible to enable full functionality on these devices. However, you can still track activity and enable notification so your kids know when they are visiting a site that they are not allowed to use.
- Supported Devices
- Windows
- Android 4 or later
- iOS 9 or later
Norton Family Premier Parental Controls work with any device that runs on a compatible operating system. Since this security solution runs on the most common Windows, Android and iOS versions, it is compatible with most computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Be aware that it is not MAC compatible, so you will need to look for an alternate solution if you’re a MAC household.
- Social Media Monitoring
- Yes
Social media is more difficult to track than general web browsing, but Kaspersky does include monitoring on some of the most popular sites, like Facebook. It can only monitor public information though, so you might want to be particularly careful about social media sites. Cyberbullying is an increasingly common issue, and social media sites are the favorite medium for sending nasty messages and harassing other kids.
- Social Media Monitoring
- No
Social media is one of the digital avenues where children are most at risk. Unfortunately, Norton Family Premier does not currently include social media monitoring as part of the suite of security tools at your disposal. Hulu and YouTube monitoring are available, but there are many other social networks that could slip by.
Kaspersky Safe Kids: User Reviews
Norton Parental Controls: User Reviews
Kaspersky Safe Kids: Comments
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How Does Kaspersky Safe Kids Work?
Installing and running Kaspersky Safe Kids is quick and easy. From the website, you simply follow the instructions for the type of device you want to protect. There are options for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Once you’ve installed the software, you can change the settings from your online dashboard or through the parental app.
You will need to set up individual profiles for each of your kids. Doing so allows you to ensure all content is age-appropriate for the user, set usage limits and monitor individual online activity. If your kids also have portable devices, you can set up additional features like geofencing.
Kaspersky Safe Kids works by notifying you of any suspicious activity and letting you control what your kids can and can’t do while online. You can block access to specific websites, deny web access once they reach their usage limit or just monitor their conversations to make sure they aren’t sharing information that could be a security risk.
What Makes Kaspersky Stand Out?
Kaspersky Safe Kids is not the most feature-rich parental control option out there, but the features it does offer are top of the line. Solid internet filtering lets you set it and forget it unless your child asks for a change. Then, you can take a look at specific sites and allow access on a case-by-case basis.
With geofencing, you can use the location information from your child’s phone to set physical boundaries. If your child leaves that safe zone, you get an immediate notification. You can also check to see if children are where they said they would be, at any time of the day or night. As long as they have their phone, you can track them.
Another positive aspect of Kaspersky is that it isn’t limited to just browser activity. It also tracks apps, messaging, MMS and calls. No, you can’t listen in on kids’ calls, but you can see who they are talking to and contact your service provider to block inappropriate numbers.
Public Facebook monitoring is another piece that sets Kaspersky apart. Other parental control solutions may not offer any social media monitoring, or if they do, it may come with a separate price tag attached. Kaspersky Safe Kids includes public Facebook monitoring, so you won’t be caught by surprise if something happens on social media.
Common Kaspersky Safe Kids Reviews
Most reviews for Kaspersky Safe Kids are positive. Even the free version generates mostly 4- and 5-star reviews. However, do keep in mind that children do not always appreciate the limitations placed on them by parental controls. You will find plenty of negative reviews, though only some are from parents complaining about the product.
Some of the most common user complaints are about features parents would like to see added. For example, many users note that it would be helpful if they could set daily usage limits and schedule offline periods at the same time. One user had some trouble when the usage limit locked the phone completely, disabling even features such as the clock and calling functionality. Barring some recommendations for added features, Kaspersky generally receives high marks.
Most users say it works exactly as advertised, blocking inappropriate sites and allowing tracking both online and off.
Is Kaspersky for Me?
Children do not always understand the complexities of online security. A poorly framed picture can post your address for the world to see, and a comment on a site could reveal where your child goes to school. The more information your child posts online, the greater the risk factors. If parents want to remain aware of potential risks and limit the dangers of the online world, parental controls are essential.
With Kaspersky Safe Kids, you can monitor online activity and talk to your kid about inappropriate sites and security issues. You can also use Safe Kids to monitor offline behavior. If your children want to visit a friend, make sure they go where they say they are going using the location settings on their phones. If you are a concerned parent and want an affordable solution to online monitoring and digital tracking, Kaspersky Safe Kids is a solid choice.
How Does Norton Family Premier Work?
Every device has the option to allow different logins. When your children use the computer, they can set their own login and password information. Using that distinct profile, you can employ Norton Family Premier to add external protections and controls. As the administrator of the parental controls, you can:
- Control when your children can use a device
- Monitor and block certain browsing habits
- Automatically set up age appropriate browsing restrictions
- Get automatic notifications whenever a child attempts to visit a blocked site
With all of the control available, Norton still encourages parental controls be used as a part of communication. Instead of installing parental controls like spyware, Norton sets up house rules surrounding internet use and involves both parents and children in the discussion about what is and is not allowed.
What Makes Norton Family Premier Stand Out?
One of the reasons why Norton Family Premier so consistently wins awards and praise from users is simple — it works. It is not browser dependent, so add-ons and plugins do not allow your children to circumvent your control settings, unlike some of the competition. After logging in to your Norton Family account, the software will handle all of the setup when you download the app to the local device.
There’s no need to dive into your router settings, figure out which software version you need to install or even set up custom restrictions. Norton Family Premier has automated the setup process, so all you need to do is tell Norton which of your children own which devices and their respective ages. You do the same with any profiles on home computers. Norton has existing age-based settings already in place, so you can start implementing house rules and restricted sites from the first day. Over time, you can tweak and customize your settings to allow specific sites or schedule availability.
Common Reviews of Norton Family Premier
PC Mag, Tom’s Guide and other industry publications routinely give Norton Family Premier a top rating. These industry experts look under the hood and compare the parental controls offered by Norton to other services available on the market today, and Norton often tops the list.
On user-based sites like the Google Play Store, Norton grabs an average rating of 2.8-stars. Normally, a rating like that would be a big red flag, but in this case, it may be one of the best pieces of advertising you can get. A large portion of the one-star reviews on the app store come from children who are upset about the restrictions the app imposes. If the app didn’t work, there would be no need for kids to complain. Of course, these complaints do highlight the importance of communication about parental controls and how they will be used. Remind your kids that nothing online is really private and that house rules don’t stop at the front door with parental controls.
Is Norton Family Premier Controls for Me?
If your children spend large portions of their day online or using a device, Norton Family Premier could be a good solution to the problems that can crop up with unfettered access. You might tell your children no video games until their homework is done, but that can be hard to enforce given the sheer number of devices that allow gaming access. With Norton, you can set the rule and make it stick.
You can also gradually introduce your children to the realities of online usage and monitoring. Many children assume their digital footprint is essentially anonymous. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Every activity you or your children take online can be monitored and tracked. Responsive advertising is just one way that sites and ISPs use your browsing history. By using parental controls to track their online activity, you can show them how much information they are giving away every time they use Google or log in to a favorite site.
When you have children accessing the internet, it’s important to have conversations about safety and security. Norton Family Premier is a good place to start the discussion and explain the rules. Norton Family Premier Controls could be a parental control solution that works for your family.
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