Bark App Review - Is it the best parental control tool in 2023?

So many parents ask me what the best parental control app is, and my main answer is that it takes layers of parental controls for an effective strategy. If I were only allowed to use ONE tool though, I would pick Bark due to its monitoring and management capabilities. Making it the most well-rounded best parental control software and tool available.

In this video, we're going to take a look at the Bark App, which is billed as the best parental control tool in 2023.

Do you have kids who love to go on wild adventures without getting permission? The Bark App is designed to help parents keep track of their kids' whereabouts and activities. With the app, you can set time limits, track locations, and keep track of messages and calls. Whether you're a parent who's looking for a simple parental control solution or a tech-savvy one-up on your kids, the Bark App is worth a look!

Bark did sponsor this video, but I was a fan long before they agreed to sponsor the video, and will continue to use the product long after the sponsorship has ended.

Sarah Kimmel is a Microsoft Certified IT Manager, who is also a mom. She currently helps families understand and manage the technology in their homes through YouTube Videos, Instagram posts, podcasts, and her website Family Tech Zone. She can also be found as a family tech expert on various TV news shows and podcasts.

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[LdangerB]

All the teens in this comment section just solidifiy the need for an app like this 😂. When you get older, you will realize that you were never as mature or level headed as you think you are. Seems to me this app has plenty of privacy so long as you are not engaging in questionable behavior online. As for it ruining communication that would be a choice on your part, not on your parents. Your parents job is to protect and raise you, to preserve your innocence up to a point where you are able to distinguish good and bad for yourselves. not to be your bestie that lets you do whatever you want.

[Olutman]

I get the “no privacy” comments on here but personally I love these features since I use them for my grandmother’s phone. She doesn’t know how a lot of things work and I just want to keep her safe online. It is actually a very helpful tool. In he past she has purchased things accidentally and she has filled out personal information on sketchy websites, this keeps her safe. I can only imagine the same goes for some children.

[pct_the_big_guy]

For ios, if a child deleted an inappropriate text or message BEFORE the phone syncs, will it still trigger the bark app?

[JetGuyAlt]

as a teenager with this app made for little kids, i can say that it is EXTREMELY uncomfortable to do anything online. maybe pay attention to how the kid/teen feels.

[scarlettfinch]

Can it see deleted search history before the app was sync to the phone

[joytobake]

You seem to always gloss over the management aspect of bark. I realize you use other apps for that, but I wish you would explain what bark can and cannot do in that area. I keep searching for details and examples.

[customfloormix]

yeah have fun with your teen cutting contact w you when they move out LMAO

[kimberlyread]

Can they work around the time limits with bark like they do just using the parental controls on Apple? Currently if the run out of time they just log out and the time starts over.

[Jotgotshot]

never had parental controls but my boyfriends got bark :3 I was raised with strict internet rules however and was not even allowed on social media when I was 13, yet i did used it anyways

what i know about bark is very limited yet i do know the way to bypass the barks discord notifies. not telling how but this can probably work in other apps too.

+ using social medias in a browser. I’ve been doing that since I was 11 and the only reason I got caught once was because my mom clicked on an instagram link on my phone and i was logged in, had my way around anyways.

I have two phones, one can cal and the other one can’t. that’s where I store a lot of stuff because my mom doesn’t checks that phone. (why would she.)

moral of the story parental controls are easy to get around with and strict parents raise sneaky kids. 🎉

[brandonfitzpatrick]

does bark work with apple watch for my child?

[Cross]

strict parents makes sneaky kids (i’d know)

[xueruoma]

don’t do this to your teenagers, i had this when i was 14-15 and i had no safety, no security, and my privacy was non-existent. it made my phone only useful for calling and texting and it left me with crippling anxiety and made me completely isolated. this is literally spyware on the device and it is fucked up. this is for little kids, not teenagers.

[theghostkat]

i just dont think they need to know how much their kid is using the apps and which ones they use the most that seems very unnessecary and intrusive
and like showing how positive and negative their conversations are is so weird ??

[emilyjames]

Is there a way to do a tutorial on how to set this up? And updates for 2023?

[PhilTheForest]

Hi Sarah I know this analysis is a couple of years old but can we set trigger words with Bark?
Thank you

[hanahnguyen-ta]

If I use iPhone with Bark App to restrict all social media, would it work the same as Troomie phone?

[diamondfamilylife]

Questions:( on an iphone) when the child is not on home wifi will parents get alerted?
If the child puts messages on vanish mode will get bark back up alerts?

[jdderryberry]

You had mentioned you have to load this on a computer that the phone backs up on, what if we do not back their phones up on a laptop? We have a With how phones can do everything now, we never even dig it out of the closet.

[engineeringoyster]

Bark may be the best app for parental controls. But it is extraordinarily difficult to set the schedule for the week. The editing interface is very unclear and it is cumbersome. Each time I edit it takes hours of frustration to edit it and even when I do succeed, I can’t figure out what I did different in my 30th attempt that resulted in success. Further, since I only edit the schedule a few times a year, anything I learned from my last edit is long since forgotten.

Further, when I purchased Bark, I expected I could turn off my child’s phone. Instead, I can only disconnect it from the internet.

Like so many IT startups, Bark has plenty of well written marketing copy but they are uncommonly weak at providing a good User Interface and much worse at providing effective documentation.

Bark may be the best but Bark will frustrate most parents to the point of disparity.

[brandonthompson]

does anyone know if they can see your deleted search history