How Do I Know Which Bark Product is Right for My Kid?

Every child is unique — and so are their tech habits. That’s why Bark has always strived to offer something for everyone, no matter what age or phase your child is in. After years of listening to parents’ feedback and creating amazing features, Bark now has a powerful suite of parental control products to support you in every step of your digital parenting journey. 

But if you’re not exactly sure where to start with Bark’s offerings, we hear you. That’s why today we’re going to walk you through each of our products and explain exactly how they can fit your family’s needs. 

For an Added Layer of Protection — the Bark App

The Bark app was the first product Bark started with10 years ago, back when parental control apps were few and far between. On a very basic level, the app is intended for kids who already have their own device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. 

If your child has an iPhone or Android, you likely already have some experience using their free controls (Apple Screentime or Google Family Link, respectively). And you’ve also likely come across many of the limitations that both of these have. So when is the Bark app most useful? When you need an extra layer of protection that these regular devices, ones that were not built for kids, don’t already provide. The essential features of the Bark app that don’t come built-in with these devices include multiple screen time schedules, granular web filtering, and most notably, our content monitoring. 

A note on Bark’s content monitoring feature

Bark’s content monitoring and alerts are what most of our products are built around — it’s been Bark’s bread and butter from the beginning. Bark can monitor your child’s online activities and send you an alert for potentially concerning content. We do this through a powerful AI algorithm that was built to look for context — not just keywords — allowing it to catch both obvious and nuanced online activities that parents need to know about. 

We believe this is a necessary feature for parents raising kids in the digital age. When kids are sending thousands of texts a day and scrolling through tons of content, it’s difficult for parents to truly know what their own child’s online world is like. That’s when Bark steps in as the eyes and ears that skim over the normal teenage chatter, only looking for the messages that are out of the ordinary and need your attention. 

For a Comprehensive, Safer Smartphone — the Bark Phone

While the Bark app provides tons of great parental controls, we realized that parents were still in need of something more comprehensive. The truth is there’s only so much we can do with just an app on another company’s phone. But with a phone that we built, it completely changes the game. 

With the Bark Phone, we were able to tailor every feature towards kids and their digital safety. After listening to parent feedback for many years, we already had the blueprint for what parents really needed in a kid’s smartphone. 

So when is the Bark Phone best for your child? Given its customizable features, the Bark Phone can be a good fit for any child in any phase (we made it that way on purpose). But generally speaking, the Bark Phone is an excellent choice for your child’s very first smartphone. When they’re just starting out, you can take advantage of Bark’s parental controls so that you know exactly what they do — and don’t — have access to. 

Here’s just a short list of everything parents can do with the Bark Phone:

• Block or allow apps (including texting)
• Block or allow internet access
• Block or allow access to the Google Play Store 
• Approve app downloads 
• Approve contacts 
• Block the ability to delete text messages 
• Block or allow the camera (including the ability to take screenshots) 
• Create granular screen time schedules (bedtime, school time, and free time) 
• Add time limits to individual apps or categories of content (i.e., all gaming apps/websites) 
• Remotely lock the Bark Phone 
• Remotely set alarms for the Bark Phone 
• Monitor and receive alerts for concerning content in texts, browsing, emails, and 30+ apps 

Additionally, the Bark Phone is more tamper-proof than most devices, which is ideal for parents with tech-savvy kids with a habit of looking for loopholes. The Bark Phone has tons of features that ensure kids can’t tamper with the controls you set, either from their device or yours. Kids can’t delete Bark from the device — even with a factory reset.

For a Safer First Device for Younger Kids — the Bark Watch 

Eventually, we saw a need for an even more simplified device for families just starting to dip their toes into the tech waters. In these early years, most kids don’t need a smartphone with internet access or the ability to contact a bunch of people. Not to mention, it’s a lot to ask a 6-year-old to keep track of a phone without losing or damaging it. 

In this case, parents are usually looking for a durable, limited-function device that’s only meant for safety. Something with location tracking and basic communication features and nothing more. So that’s what we built the Bark Watch to be! 

If your child rides their bike around the neighborhood for the afternoon or is riding the bus home, you can easily reach or track them with the Bark Watch, all while having the peace of mind that they can’t access web browsers or apps.

Specifically, the Bark Watch has no internet or games, but kids can easily send and receive texts and calls. Parents can track their location, manage their contacts, and use Bark’s tried and true content monitoring to receive alerts for any concerning text messages. 

For a Whole House Solution — the Bark Home 

So what about all the tech besides your child’s personal device? What about the iPad and Chromebook and PS4 and smart TV that all likely have the same internet access as a smartphone? We have something for that, too. It’s called the Bark Home, and it allows you to manage internet access for all the devices in your house. 

Here’s how it works: It’s a small device that plugs into your router, giving you control of the Wi-Fi for all devices on your home network. You now have the same screen time features that the Bark app has, except now you can manage more than just your child’s smartphone. Some of the use cases for the Bark Home let you: 

• Set screen time schedules for the family laptop so that your child can only access educational sites during homework time. 
• Block any streaming app on the smart TV in the living room (but make sure it’s still available on parent’s devices). 
• Block YouTube on all devices in the home indefinitely.  
• Set granular filtering rules by either blocking specific apps or sites or blocking entire categories of content (i.e., “block all sexual sites” or “block all social media apps”). 
• Pause Wi-Fi access to all devices in the home when it’s time for a needed tech break. 

And the best part? You can easily do all of these things right from the Bark parent app on your phone. 

Ready to Get Started With Bark?

Now that you’re an expert on all things Bark, we want to help you get started! If you’re interested in the Bark app, we offer a free, 7-day trial so you can test out all the features for yourself. If you’re interested in the Bark Phone, Bark Watch, or Bark Home, you can find all purchasing information on our site, as well as reach our team with any additional questions you may have. We hope Bark becomes a powerful tool for your family as you raise kids in this digital era!  

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