Norton Parental Controls Review
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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
- $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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
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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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