You can also block web content by category (Image credit: Net Nanny) Many apps only support a single range ('8am to 9pm'), but Net Nanny's approach gives you far more control, for example allowing you to deny device use at mealtimes (5-6pm) and restore it for an hour or two afterward. Once you find it, though, the scheduler works more or less as expected, allowing you to allow or deny internet access in one-hour blocks throughout the day. The H elp site pointed us in the right direction: for some reason, Net Nanny places time scheduling in an entirely different area of the control panel, doesn't link them, and doesn't highlight the feature later (it's the bottom option of a drop-down list.) We couldn't initially find any way to schedule specific times when a device could be used, for example, to block device access from bedtime until the morning. That's a handy level of control you won't get with most apps. When screen time is up, you can opt to pause the device, prevent app usage, or just block internet access.

We were able to set separate usage time limits for every day of the week, and with a precise number of minutes each time (many apps support only 15 or 30-minute increments, and Mobicip schedules usage time in one-hour blocks only.) Net Nanny gave our test 9-year-old unlimited screen time by default, but that's easy to change. Schedule screen time and set daily limits for your child (Image credit: Net Nanny) Screen time That's not automatically a disaster, as even if your child finds dubious content in a search, it should be blocked by Net Nanny's filter, but it's still a weakness in the system. The Safe Search setting isn't protected, either, so your child could simply disable it later. That's good advice, but many apps do this automatically, and some do the same with other search engines (Kaspersky can enforce Safe Search with Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Yandex.) This prompted us to log in and create our child's basic profile - name, gender and age - and then walked us through the process of approving various Android permissions (device administrator, location, content checking.) There are a lot, but they're necessary for parental control apps, where you're keeping a very close eye on how a device is being used.įinally, Net Nanny prompted us to manually enable Safe Search in the Google app. We followed Net Nanny's advice, visiting on our child's Android app, clicking a link to visit the relevant Google Play page, and installing the app. It was also good to see the company send us an email with more instructions, so even if we had to give up on our current session, we'd have guidance on what to do next. This can look a little intimidating, but there's a plus in NetNanny's live chat support (Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm EST.) It's not 24/7, but it beats many smaller companies, which often provide support via email only. We entered our email address and chose a password to create an account, selected the free three-day trial, and the app launched a wizard to help us begin. Net Nanny's setup process began when we installed the parent's app. Even just a day or two is better than nothing, though, and even if you sign up and regret it, you can still ask for a refund within the first 14 days. The website explains you get 14 free days with the Android app, for instance, then we installed it and were offered three. Net Nanny's trial scheme isn't exactly clear. Test out Net Nanny for yourself with a free trial that doesn't require any payment details (Image credit: Net Nanny) Kaspersky Safe Kids doesn't have the real-time content filtering you'll get with Net Nanny, but it more than covers the parental controls basics, and it costs just $15 to protect unlimited devices for a year.

There are significantly cheaper apps around, though. Bark also uses text analysis to spot issues with web content but isn't as successful as Net Nanny, and it costs a similar $99 a year to cover unlimited devices. That's not an unusual price for Net Nanny's level of features. Still, it's possible the prices will be significantly higher by the time you read this.) (As we write, the company says these prices are discounted, with '30% off for a limited time.' A quick visit to the Wayback Machine showed Net Nanny offering the same prices six months ago, though, so it doesn't seem that limited. The second covers up to five desktop or mobile devices for $55, and the third protects up to 20 devices for an annual $90. The first protects a single desktop for $40 a year. Net Nanny's pricing is a little more complicated than usual, with three plans on offer. That's an issue with all parental control apps, though, and the ability to offer even partial protection on desktops is still a major plus point. Keep in mind that features vary depending on the platform - Windows and Mac laptops don't support location tracking, for instance.

Support for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Kindle Fire ensures you can run Net Nanny just about anywhere.

Net nanny dashboard