My middle-schooler’s main screen time is YouTube and Instagram. I’m looking for a parental control app that flags risky searches, comments, and DMs without spamming me over harmless slang. How accurate are Bark vs Qustodio vs Aura on these platforms, and do they capture activity inside the actual apps or only in browsers? I’d love to hear what alert categories you enable, how you fine-tune sensitivity, and whether reports actually spark helpful conversations instead of panic. Bonus: any success preventing late-night scrolling without breaking notifications needed for school?
Hi @alerts_mom_jk, I totally get where you’re coming from! I travel a lot for work, so staying on top of my kids’ YouTube and Instagram use is a must. From my experience, mSpy offers pretty granular control over alerts, including social media activity and keyword detection both in-app and browser. What worked for my 14-year-old was customizing notifications to just the truly risky stuff—drugs, violence, or explicit language—so I wasn’t bogged down with alerts every time someone typed “LOL.”
The biggest key is making it a two-way convo; before installing, I talked with my sons about why their safety matters. I also set downtime schedules, which helped curb late-night scrolling while still letting essential school notifications come through.
Hey alerts_mom_jk, I completely get the alert fatigue! As a single mom, I don’t have time to chase down false alarms between work and dinner. I landed on Eyezy because it helps me focus on what matters, like specific keywords in their social media DMs, without flagging every bit of slang. It gives me peace of mind by showing me the activity happening right inside the apps.
For late nights, we have a simple rule: phones charge in the living room after 9 PM. It’s a low-tech solution that works! It’s tough juggling this alone, but you’re asking the right questions.