Today’s kids play more online than offline. This means they can be exposed to materials that can harm their innocence or childhood. Parental control has become a digital necessity. Parents try to monitor their children’s digital activities and filter websites that their children can see to prevent them from being exposed to unsuitable or dangerous materials.
This is where Kaspersky Safe Kids comes in. It is a parental control software program from Kaspersky, the famous antivirus brand. It allows parents to initiate parental control on their children’s devices through web filtering, app blocking, location monitoring (with geofencing), and time management.
Kaspersky Safe Kids Pros and Cons
Kaspersky Safe Kids is an affordable, full-featured, and unlimited parental monitoring program for computer and mobile platforms. Here are it’s pros and cons:
Pros
- Affordable
- No limit on child profiles or devices
- Robust web filtering
- Flexible app and device usage control
- An extensive, real-time alert system
- Geofencing
Cons
- iOS limitations
- Social monitoring is limited to Facebook and VK
- Content filtering is limited to specific browsers
Kaspersky Safe Kids Features
Many parental control programs are only available for desktop or mobile platforms. Kaspersky Safe Kids is available for use on nearly all platforms, including:
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- Windows PCs Versions 7/8/8.1/10
- macOS
- Android OS
- iOS
Full functionality is available for Mac computers, Windows PCs,Android phones, and tablets. However, due to the iOS operating systems’ restrictions, Kaspersky Safe Kids cannot block children’s iPhones & iPads.
This leaves web control to be only available when children browse through the Kaspersky Safe Kids app. Additionally, app management or blocking on iOS is only possible with age-appropriate limitations.
Kaspersky Safe Kids is available on two plans – free and premium. For only $14.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial, Safe Kids premium plan allows you to create as many child profiles as you want and monitor any number of devices, regardless of the platform. This is way cheaper than most parental control programs that cost $25.99 a year on average.
Kaspersky Safe Kids is a feature-rich program. The premium version has a plethora of features, including:
- Online content filter: Parents can protect children from inappropriate online content and websites.
- Apps usage control (limited on iOS): Parents can manage app usage by age category or restrictions, and time used.
- YouTube safe search: Enables parents to block children’s YouTube search requests that are deemed unsuitable or harmful to their innocence.
- YouTube Search history: Enables parents to discover their kids’ search interests on YouTube by monitoring their YouTube searches.
- Screen time management: Parents can manage the time (in hours/day) that kids spend online and on their devices.
- GPS child locator: You can see where your children go on the Safe Kids map and even set a safe area on which they can stay.
- Social network monitoring (Facebook): Parents can track their kids’ public Facebook activity through the My Kaspersky account.
- Battery tracker: Safe Kids will notify you when your child or children are low on battery. You’ll know where they’re located at that time, so you don’t lose touch.
- Real-time alerts: Alert parents if the children try to access restricted sites and apps and leave safe areas.
The Safe Kids free plan is unlimited for users and devices but limited on features. It doesn’t allow you to monitor your children’s social media, track their location, or see their YouTube search history. Furthermore, it doesn’t have real-time alerts of blocked or suspicious activities.
The YouTube Safe Search is compatible with all browsers on all platforms (Windows/macOS iOS/Android) and devices. Aside from that,, it works directly in the YouTube app on Android (phones/tablets).
How to Use Kaspersky Safe Kids
Using Kaspersky Safe Kids is simple and straightforward. To configure the program, you must first create a “My Kaspersky” account (if you don’t have one already) on the Kaspersky website. It is free to sign up for the account.
The next thing you need to do is to create a Kaspersky Child Profile in the My Kaspersky web console. To create the child’s profile, you need to add:
- A name (must not be the real name)
- Child’s year of birth
- Select an avatar or upload a photo to identify the child
Select the child’s type of device, such as:
- Android
- macOS
- Windows PC
- iOS
Kaspersky Safe Kids allows you to select as many device types as you want.
You can then download and install the application on the child’s device. Safe Kids web console will display download links and installation instructions for the selected devices. The Safe Kids app is similar on the App Store, Microsoft Store, and Google Play depending on your device. Whatever device you choose, you’ll be asked to choose the parent or child mode during setup.
Installing the application is quick and easy. For Windows users, the wizard notes that you should have different accounts for children and parents on the PC. The app sets up as an icon in the settings and displays the enabled devices plus the settings and usage schedule. Also, accessing settings or pausing the application requires the parent’s password. It also includes a new tutorial mode called Setup Assistant. It runs you through Safe Kids’ features.
Kaspersky Safe Kids Review
Kaspersky Safe Kids is a good bargain for your child’s online protection. It is a good choice if your children use Windows PCs and Android devices. It has minimalist icons and is practically easy to use. The prices are much lower compared to other child protection programs. Its ability to support all major platforms is a big plus for the program.
Kaspersky’s Safe Kids also has all the standard parental control features that a premium parental control app should have. You can also monitor all your children’s devices to block any inappropriate websites. However, it lacks some important extra features, such as the essential SOS button.
Wrapping Up
Kaspersky Safe Kids is an excellent app for parents who wish to control their children’s digital space and time. However, before settling on the parental control program, we recommend that you check if it includes all the features that fit your needs and if they can be configured appropriately to fulfill your desires. We also recommend installing a trial version first to check its suitability before you make a purchase. If necessary, you can ask for an expert’s opinion.