The best parental controls app for iOS

Pricing depends on your child's device. A single subscription covers every child and device in your family, with no limit on accounts, devices, or kids.

iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android: $14/month or $99/year

With either plan, you can:

• Monitor and receive alerts for your child's social media, texts, email, and web activity
• Manage screen time and block specific websites and apps
• Track your child's location with live GPS and location alerts

For iPhone and iPad families: Apple's privacy protections mean third-party apps can't read what's on your child's device. The Bark Sync helps close that gap. It's a smart charger that scans your child's iPhone or iPad for potential issues every time it plugs in, no extra steps required. The Bark Sync is optional for blocking, screen time, and location tracking. To monitor texts, photos, and videos, you’ll need the Bark Sync (or the Bark Desktop App on a home computer). The Bark Sync is $6/month or $49/year and requires a Bark App subscription. If you subscribe through the App Store, the Bark Sync is a one-time $79 purchase.

The Bark App is compatible with iPhones, iPads, Android phones, Android tablets, laptops, computers, Chromebooks, and Amazon Fire tablets. Check out our full list of everything Bark can monitor on each device.

Once you connect your child's devices and accounts, Bark runs quietly in the background — no daily effort needed. Here's the basic flow:

1. Bark monitors your child's online activity

Bark scans texts, social media, emails, web searches, and saved photos and videos across your child's devices. Rather than flagging every message, it uses advanced AI and natural language processing to understand context — so it knows the difference between a kid venting about homework and a kid who's genuinely struggling.

2. You get an alert when something needs your attention

If Bark detects a potential issue — like signs of bullying, predatory behavior, suicidal ideation, or explicit content — it sends you an alert right away, along with context and guidance on how to address it.

3. You stay in control of the rest

Beyond monitoring, you can manage screen time schedules, block websites and apps by category, and track your child's location with live GPS — all from the Bark parent app. For a deeper look, visit our How Bark Works page.

The easiest way to get started is to visit our sign-up page or download the Bark parent app (iOS, Android) — from there, you'll be guided through setup step by step.

Not sure which product is right for your family? Learn more about the Bark App, Bark Phone, Bark Watch, Bark Sync, and Bark Home.

The Bark App is currently available in the United States (including U.S. territories), South Africa, and Australia. We’re continually working to bring Bark to more families around the world.

Yes! Download the Bark parent app here to review alerts, add children, connect accounts, update notification settings, and more.

You'll also need to install the Bark Kids app on your child's iPhone or iPad — it's what enables Bark to block apps and sites and track your child's location.

To monitor texts, photos, videos, and more on your child's iOS device, you'll need the Bark Sync — a smart charger that scans your child's device every time it plugs in (or the Bark Desktop App on a home computer). It's the easiest way to get the most out of Bark on iOS. Learn more about Bark for iOS here.

Yes! Download the Bark parent app here to review alerts, add children, connect accounts, update notification settings, and more.

You'll also need to install the Bark Kids app on your child's Android device — it's what enables Bark to monitor content, manage screen time, block websites, and track your child's location. Learn more about Bark for Android here.

Add any of your child's devices or social media accounts to be monitored. There's no limit, so you can connect as many devices and accounts as you need on every plan. When you connect a device, Bark will also scan up to 60 days of its text history to catch anything you may have missed.

For some social media platforms, monitoring requires entering your child's login credentials during setup. This lets Bark access the account's activity directly. We'll let you know during setup which platforms need this.

Once connected, our AI scans text, images, video, and audio for potential dangers, including conversations in English, Spanish, and Afrikaans, and sends you alerts for anything concerning.

You can also customize how sensitive you'd like the alerts to be. Don't care about profanity but want all alerts about drugs? No problem.

With Bark, you can manage your children’s screen time from your own phone via the Bark App or website, regardless of whether you have an iPhone and your kids have an Android (or vice versa).

In terms of web filtering, Apple's Screen Time and Google Family Link web filters only block general content. Bark, on the other hand, breaks down a wide range of categories and exceptions to enable a more customized and refined level of protection.

No, you do not need to jailbreak your child's iOS device or root your child’s Android phone in order for Bark to work. As a third-party service, we strive to provide a program that keeps phones working properly and that does not void warranties or terms of service.

No, but how you get set up with Bark depends on your child's device.

Android — Simply install the Bark Kids app on your child's device and you're good to go. Learn more about Bark for Android here.

iOS (iPhone/iPad) — The Bark Sync is a smart charger that scans your child's device every time it plugs in, so you don't need a computer. You'll pair it once using the Bark Kids app on your child's iPhone or iPad. Learn more about Bark for iOS here.

Bark can be installed on most phones, but the setup and features vary depending on the device. On Android phones, users can easily download the Bark App to enable monitoring, set screen-time limits, filter web content, manage apps, track location, and receive alerts. 

On iPhones and iPads, Bark operates slightly differently due to Apple’s privacy restrictions. Bark devices like the Bark Phone and Bark Watch come with Bark’s safety features built right in, so parents don’t need to install anything separately.