Parental controls reimagined
Advanced content monitoring for all your kid’s devices
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7.5 million
children covered by Bark
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4.1 million
severe self-harm situations detected
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6.6 million
severe bullying situations detected
Featured On:
Monitor texts, social media, search, and more
Bark scans your child’s text messages, 30+ social media apps, web browsers, emails, and other online activity, keeping you informed and your child protected.
AI-powered safety alerts in over 29 categories
Bark goes beyond device mirroring, using advanced AI to scan texts, social media, images, videos, and audio for threats like cyberbullying and pornography, ensuring unparalleled safety for your child.
Personalized insights & expert recommendations
Receive personalized reports on your child’s online activity and expert guidance with every alert, better equipping you to handle those challenging moments.
Bark can also help you…
⏳ Manage screen time
Create custom schedules for app use or pause the internet altogether to create healthy boundaries.
🚫 Block websites & apps
Decide which apps and websites your child can use and filter inappropriate content.
🧭 Track location
Worry less when your kid is out and about with our live GPS, location alerts, and check-ins.
Our products
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Bark Phone Pro
Same great features as the Bark Phone in a faster and more durable device
Starts at $29/mo
+ $19/mo for 24 months for deviceFeatures
- Monitor texts and apps
- Get alerts for concerning content
- Tamper-proof controls
- Block apps & websites
- Set screen time limits
- Approve or deny contacts
- Track location
- Pause or disable the internet
- IP67 water resistance
- Gorilla® Glass screen
- Faster processor and more memory
- Seamless video calls and streaming
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Bark Phone
Get the phone with custom controls and Bark's monitoring built-in
Starts at $29/mo
+ $10/mo for 24 months for deviceFeatures
- Monitor texts and apps
- Get alerts for concerning content
- Tamper-proof controls
- Block apps & websites
- Set screen time limits
- Approve or deny contacts
- Track location
- Pause or disable the internet
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Bark Watch
Monitor texts, track location, and manage contacts
$19/mo
+ $7/mo for 24 months for deviceFeatures
- Monitor texts
- Get alerts for concerning content
- Tamper-proof controls
- Approve or deny contacts
- Track location
- No games, browsers, or social media
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Bark App
Add Bark’s monitoring and parental controls to your kid’s devices
Starts at $14/mo
7-day free trialFeatures
- Monitor texts and apps
- Get alerts for concerning content
- Block apps & websites
- Set screen time limits
- Track location
- Pause the internet
Not sure which Bark product is right for your child?
Take our 5-question quiz to find the perfect fit.
Real-life Bark families. Real-life stories.
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Lauren C.January 10Bark potentially saved my daughters life…if you are contemplating this…don’t! It alerted me to more than I ever would have known. I can’t even repay you for what you have given me
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Lori E.March 3I really really have to recommend this service. We’ve used other programs in the past that were great at shutting down programs or setting time limitations… But they didn’t really help monitor. One of the things that I really appreciate is that it addresses the kids directly during set up letting them know that we don’t want to invade their privacy, just that we want to help keep them safe.
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Heather W.October 9I have used the bark app (and now, the bark phone for my youngest) across both droid and apple devices to keep me updated on current lingo and issues that I need to address with my kids for over 5 years. Thank you for the education, extra set of eyes/ears, and your heart, Bark people!
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Dorothea S.February 12Love! love! love! the bark phone!!!! I can’t say enough good things about Bark. This is everything i wanted in a phone for my daughter. You have no idea this moms frustration trying to find something easy and where my kid can’t disable the VPN that makes it work!!! every parent needs this for their kid…of any age!!!!!
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Jena R.January 10Bark is the best decision my husband and I made. We have a 15 year old and although that may sound a bit old for monitoring, it is the best thing for us and our teen because it alerts us on potentially dangerous situations and it holds her accountable for how she conducts herself online. I can’t see why anyone would discourage this. Thanks Bark!
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Kimberly S.December 5I have had this for about a month. It has absolutely produced excellent conversations and has built trust. My approach is not “gotcha” but “I love you and this helps me support you”. My children understand I trust them but I need to be alerted to some things. This has been a great fit for our family.
912 comments -
Lisa W.June 10I’ve tried most parental control apps for my now 10 year old and this is by far the best. The integration with my son’s apps and accounts means he can start to have access to the things some of his older friends are into but I can be notified of content that might be inappropriate or concerning.
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Marianne H.September 2Thanks a ton. You have not only helped me protect my kids, but helped us have better and more open conversations. My kids live in a blended home, and this helps us be on the same page when we teach right and wrong and flat out dangerous
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Maureen A.July 27I put bark on my children’s phone for my oldest son who is 15. Never thinking that my 11-year-old daughter would have alerts much to my surprise when I hooked up her phone I got 97 alerts for her phone. brought attention to things in never considered! Thank you so much.
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Russell S.December 10I have been impressed with this app over and over again. Some of the things it was capturing from my son’s phone and alerting me to would have certainly gone undetected on a different service. Super impressed and happy with the service. Best out there hands down. We’ve used other services and I’m so glad we found Bark.
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Sarah S.August 8I decided it was time I got more involved in what my daughter sees and reads. So within 3 minutes of downloading, Bark found an extremely inappropriate issue!!! Though it did not involve her, it did alert me to a picture she took a screen shot of. It was a message from a boy to a friend of hers. It made my stomach turn. Thank you!
127 comments
Explore all of Bark’s parental control tools
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Say goodbye to texts from strangers
Help protect your kid from strangers by choosing who they can talk to.
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Approve or deny app downloads
When your child tries to download an app, you'll get a request to approve or deny the app.
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Allow or block access to App Store
Decide if your child is allowed to access the Google Play Store by simply toggling a button.
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Encourage healthy boundaries
Whether it’s two hours a day of YouTube, 30 minutes of social media, or somewhere in between — you call the shots.
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Limit distractions while they’re driving
Automatically pause the Bark Phone when it detects your child is in a moving vehicle.
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Prevent texts from being deleted
Choose whether or not your child can delete text messages on their phone.
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Add parental controls to smart devices
Limit screen time, block content, and pause the internet on smart devices like TVs and gaming consoles.
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Create custom schedules for app use
From school time to bedtime, decide what apps your kid can use and when.
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Protect your kid from inappropriate content
Our web filter lets you block categories of content as well as specific sites and apps.
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Worry less when your kid is out and about
Stay on top of your kid's location with our GPS-powered real-time map, location alerts, and check-ins.
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Get important insights about your child’s world
Bark saves you time and gives peace of mind by monitoring texts, social media and online content to alert you on potential dangers.
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Make morning wake-ups a little easier
Set one-time or recurring alarms to go off on your child’s Bark Phone.
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FAQs
The Bark Watch has no activation fee, and the total monthly charge is $22/month.
This breaks down to a $7/month contract for 24 months to cover the cost of the device, plus $15/month for cell service and our parental controls.
We offer two plans — Bark Premium and Bark Jr — a single subscription covers every child and device in your family, with no limit on accounts, devices, or kids. Both plans come with a 7-day free trial:
Bark Premium ($14/month or $99/year)
- Parent’s top choice for comprehensive coverage.
- Monitor and receive alerts for your child’s social media, phones, tablets, and computers.
- Manage screen time, block specific websites and apps, and track their location.
Bark Jr ($5/month or $49/year)
- Gain control over screen time, block unwanted websites and apps, and filter inappropriate content.
- Track your child's whereabouts with live GPS, location alerts, and check-in features.
The Bark Phone is $10/month for 24 months, and the Bark Phone Pro is $19/month for 24 months to cover the cost of the device plus your monthly wireless plan. There is no activation fee with either phone.
Your monthly plan cost will include:
- A Bark Premium subscription for the entire family
- Our built-in parental controls
- Unlimited talk & text
- Mobile data (if you choose it)
Starter plan:
- $29/month for unlimited talk, text, and no internet, app store, or games
Advanced plans:
- $39/month for unlimited talk, text, and Wi-Fi only (no data)
- $49/month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB data
- $59/month for unlimited talk, text, and 8GB data
- $79/month for unlimited talk, text, and data1
1 After exceeding 35GB/month of data use, data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle. After exceeding 50GB/month of data usage, data speeds may be reduced further and/or data connection may be turned off for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle.
Add one of your child's devices or social media accounts to be monitored. Then — thanks to our comprehensive AI, we'll start sending you alerts about potentially harmful activities on those devices and accounts.
You can also customize how sensitive you would like the alerts to be. Don't care about profanity but want all alerts about drugs? No problem.
The Bark app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, Androids phones, Android tablets, laptops, computers, Chromebooks, and Amazon Fire tablets. Check out our full list of everything Bark can monitor on each device.
Yes, click here to download our iOS app for parents. This app allows you to review alerts, add children, connect accounts, update notification settings, and more.
The Bark Kids app will need to be installed on your child's iOS device to block apps and sites.
The Bark Desktop App will need to be installed on a Windows or Mac computer to monitor the iOS device texts, photos, videos, WhatsApp, and Kik for issues. (Don't have a computer? You can use the Bark Home in place of a computer for iOS monitoring).
Bark's parental controls for iOS devices give you the power to monitor your child’s online activities in a groundbreaking way.
Our content monitoring uses advanced AI to scan messages, posts, comments, replies, web searches, and so much more to find potential dangers. If something concerning is found, you’ll get a timely alert so you can check in and make sure everything is okay. Learn more about what Bark monitors on iOS devices here.
In addition to monitoring, Bark also lets you manage screen time, block websites & apps, and track location 24/7.
These key features of our iPhone parental monitoring app work together to build a powerful digital safety net to help you protect your child online and in real life.
Yes, click here to download our Android app. The app allows you to review alerts, add children, connect accounts, update your notification settings, and more.
The Bark for Kids app will need to be installed on your child's Android device to allow Bark to monitor content, manage screen time, and block websites on the device.
Bark's parental controls for Androids give you the power to monitor your child’s online activities in a groundbreaking way.
Our content monitoring uses advanced AI to scan messages, posts, comments, replies, web searches, and so much more to find potential dangers. If something concerning is found, you’ll get a timely alert so you can check in and make sure everything is okay. Learn more about what Bark monitors on Android devices here.
In addition to monitoring, Bark also lets you manage screen time, block websites & apps, and track location 24/7.
These key features work together to build a powerful digital safety net to help you protect your child online and in real life.
Right now, the Bark Phone for kids is only available for families located in the U.S.
Tell us what country you'd like to bring the Bark Phone to next.
Because Bark’s software is built directly into the phone, it automatically monitors texts, emails, social media, and apps. Bark also can't be deleted from the Bark Phone, which helps ensure the settings you put into this cell phone for kids will stay.
The Bark Phone also offers exclusive features that the app doesn’t, including:
- Contact approvals
- App install approvals
- Remote alarms
- Daily screen time limits
- Completely tamper-proof settings
The Bark app is currently available in the United States, South Africa, Guam, and Australia. We’re continually working to bring Bark to more families around the world.
Our algorithms are currently trained in English, Spanish, and Afrikaans, and we’re looking to add more languages in the near future.
Absolutely. At Bark, security is paramount. Our website uses SSL encryption and all analyzed data is stored within an encrypted database. You can rest easy knowing your children's data is secure.
