Bark is officially in its 11th year of business, but in many ways, it still feels like the company it was in its earliest days. While we’ve grown significantly since the early days, our heart and mission have remained the same: to help keep kids safer online. Here are just a few of the reasons Bark has been able to keep a positive, people-first mindset, and how parents like you have played the biggest part in shaping it along the way.
How It Started and How It’s Going
The idea behind Bark started when Brian Bason, Bark’s founder, started searching for tools to help keep kids safer online. Having worked in the tech industry previously — including X (formerly Twitter) — and having two young boys of his own, he knew the potential risks of kids being online. Much to his surprise, his search ended quickly. At that time, there were hardly any parental control products that truly fit the needs of modern parents. And so, the idea for Bark was born.
Partnering with a fellow dad of two and software engineer, Brandon Hilkert, the two began to build the Bark app with one mission in mind: give parents meaningful insights into their children’s digital lives. From the beginning, Bark’s monitoring was designed very specifically to only alert parents when something harmful was detected — not to spy on every message or shut kids off from the online world entirely. They were looking to strike the perfect balance between the two.
To this day, the mission to keep that balance remains. Bark’s monitoring has continued to be the bread and butter of the company, and it’s what sets us apart from other parental control companies that have cropped up over the years. But along the way, we’ve also been able to address tons of other needs families have, such as web filtering, screen time management, and location tracking. Even a smartphone and smartwatch with our controls built in and completely customizable settings.
The Who Behind Bark: Real Parents Just Like You
Bark is always looking for the best and brightest in their field to join our team, but the real heart behind Bark comes from something more personal. Many of our employees are parents themselves, navigating the same challenges, questions, and worries that families everywhere face. Some of our most impactful product updates exist because Bark team members use Bark in their own homes. But we don’t just take our word for it, we often go straight to the source for more insight — you!
Our Facebook group, Parenting in a Tech World, is filled with parents using all kinds of tech for their kids. When parents have valuable insight into their experience with Bark, you can bet real Bark team members are listening. You may even spot Brandon Hilkert, our Chief Technology Officer, jumping into the comments every now and then.
How We Hype Ourselves Up: Bark Week
If you catch any Bark member on a random day of the year, there’s a good chance they’re already looking forward to October. Why? Because that’s when we host Bark Week, when all of our employees come together in one place to connect, collaborate, and spend some meaningful face-to-face time. For a company that’s completely remote, it’s an incredibly special week.
Last Bark Week in 2025 was extra meaningful, because we celebrated our 10-year anniversary as a company. In honor of this, we went to one of the most magical places ever, Cape Neddick, Maine! With an oceanside view and the best lobster rolls ever made, it’s safe to say we sufficiently marked the milestone. Not only did we reflect on where Bark came from with gratitude, but we also looked ahead with excitement to all the places Bark might go in the digital safety space.
What Truly Makes Bark, Bark: You
At the end of the day, it’s not the products or features or even Bark Week that make Bark’s culture what it is. It’s parents like you, and a team that believes you deserve a reliable way to keep your children safer online.
We hear testimonies every day of people who have had life-saving experiences because Bark alerted them to something serious happening in their child’s digital world. These stories never go unnoticed — we make a point to share them in a dedicated Slack channel to serve as a reminder of why our work is important. It’s bittersweet, knowing that a family had to endure a difficult event for Bark to be needed in the first place, but it’s the motivation behind everything we do to ensure families have that help when it matters most.
So thank you, whether you’re a part of the Bark family or just a fellow parent doing their best in this tech world. We’re honored to be on this journey with you!
If you’re curious about Bark’s products, you can check them out on our products page, and even sign up for a 7-day free trial to see how Bark’s monitoring and controls can support your family today.
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Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives.
