AT&T parental controls, such as AT&T Secure Family, are awesome things for parents who like to monitor their kids. As you know, the internet could be an amazing source of information.
However, it could do great harm if you would not use this service wisely. It is true, especially in the case of teenagers. Today, most teenagers have smartphones on which they can access the internet anytime.
That’s why parents have to take some content control measures to protect their kids from seeing inappropriate content, such as violence, pornography, or other illicit online content that could have a bad effect on the mentality of their children.
Most software vendors have developed various parental control tools to cope with this. This is to help parents monitor their kids’ smartphone activities.
Here, we are going to talk about AT&T parental controls – AT&T Secure Family and its great alternatives that you can use for monitoring your child’s smartphone.
Part 1: Learn Everything About AT&T Secure Family
AT&T Secure Family is one of the AT&T parental controls. The latest one has replaced the older AT&T parental control application called Smart Limit.
Compared to Smart Limit, this application provides more control to the parents over their kids’ internet activity. AT&T parental controls allow monitoring over ten lines at a price of just $7.99 each month.
Using this parental control tool, users can track all the location details of their family, monitor the real-time GPS location, block in-app purchases, filter web content, manage the overall internet usage, set time usage, etc.
AT&T Secure Family has taken AT&T parental controls smartphone to an entirely new level. Regarding its price, you get a 30-day free trial, which charges $7.99 per month for 10 different lines. Learn about its special features to see what all it has to offer.
Unique Characteristics of AT&T Secure Family:
- It tracks the GPS location of all the family members and views the entire location history to know where they visited all day.
- Both parents could download this app and install it to monitor their kids’ smartphone activity.
- AT&T Secure Family offers real-time alerts on the departure or arrival of your kid from a specific location like a school or home.
- Its content filtering function enables you to block or filter online content and applications based on age-appropriate settings.
- AT&T parental controls enable you to put time limits on the kid’s internet access and even pause the internet access on the device.
- This tool allows users to block in-app purchases from the App Store or Google Play Store.
- Using AT&T Secure Family, you can view the kid’s phone’s voices, texts, data usage, and the remaining battery.
- It features tamper alerts if someone tries to delete the application from the kid’s smartphone.
Requirements for Using AT&T Secure Family
- Your smartphone must be running on Android 5.0 and iOS 10 or later for using AT&T parental controls.
- Parents need to install the Companion application of AT&T Secure Family on their kids’ phones and pair the same on their own devices. Otherwise, you will only be able to use limited features.
- Users can even track the real-time GPS location and their kids’ location history.
- Both kids and parents have to set up the same account of AT&T Secure Family on both the Secure Family app and the Companion app.
- This application is available for AT&T Wi-Fi postpaid customers.
- For finding a family member, just authorized users could use this tool.
Limitations of the AT&T Secure Family Application
- One cannot employ AT&T Mobile Security Plus and AT&T Secure Family on the same smartphone. You have to downgrade to the AT&T Mobile Security Basic to use the Secure Family tool.
- You have to install the Secure Family Companion application on your kid’s device to use features like departure/arrival alerts, content filtering, internet limit, etc.
- One cannot enjoy accurate location tracking without installing the Secure Family Companion app.
- You can track the location history for just 7 days.
- AT&T Secure Family does not enable you to see the messages and contacts on the child’s smartphone.
- Your kids know that they are being monitored.
- Only AT&T wireless customers could use AT&T Secure Family.
How to Setup AT&T parental controls
To set up AT&T parental controls, you need to follow some simple steps below. The procedure is very easy to follow.
Step 1: Install AT&T Secure Family
Initially, you have to download and install AT&T Secure Family on your smartphone from App Store or Google Store. After that, set up a user account for using the application.
Step 2: Send an invitation
Next, you have to send an invitation to the kid’s phone from your AT&T Secure Family.
Step 3: Click on the link
Open the invitation text on your kid’s device and click on that link.
Step 4: Download Secure Family Companion
Next, you have to click on the tab ‘Download‘ to download the Secure Family Companion application on your kid’s phone.
Step 5: Begin monitoring
Lastly, you need to follow the instructions showing up on the screen for setting up Secure Family Companion and then begin monitoring your kid’s phone.
Due to its limitations, most users do not like to use AT&T Secure Family. Also, people who do not have the AT&T network cannot use this parental control application.
In that case, it is best to look for a great alternative to this monitoring solution. So, let’s have a glance at some of the best AT&T parental control alternatives!
Part 2: Best Alternative to AT&T Parental Controls
AT&T parental controls seem to be perfect, but they do not cover all aspects of smartphone monitoring that parents need, like tracking messages and calls and restricted location tracking. Furthermore, other carriers people cannot employ AT&T Secure Family.
If you are in search of a parental control application that enables users to track their child’s phone activities irrespective of the cellular carriers you employ, then use KidsGuard Pro.
This application is the best alternative to the AT&T Secure Family app. It works perfectly well on all Android smartphones running on Android 4.0-10.0.
Unique Characteristics of KidsGuard Pro:
- KidsGuard Pro enables users to see their kid’s contacts, text messages, call history, and messaging applications like WhatsApp, Viber, LINE, etc.
- It updates the location of your child every 15 minutes. You can see the location remotely from the app’s dashboard.
- The best family locator app lets users see calendars, videos, photos, and notes saved on their kid’s device.
- Using real-time screenshots, parents can know what their kids are doing at all times.
- Users can check their browser history to find out what their kids are searching for online.
- Its keylogger feature records all keystrokes typed by your kid.
- The best porn-blocking app runs invisibly on your kid’s smartphone.
- KidsGuard Pro offers a 3-day trial for free. You can cancel your subscription anytime.
How to Employ KidsGuard Pro Parental Control Application
If you want to use KidsGuard Pro for monitoring your kids, then follow the instructions mentioned below. So, let’s have a look at them!
Step 1: Click on ‘Try It Now’
Initially, you have to create an account on KidsGuard Pro on its official website. Then, tap on the tab ‘Try It Now‘ and provide information regarding your kid, like age, name, and the device OS.
Step 2: Download KidsGuard Pro
Now, you have to visit the site www.clevguard.net on your kid’s smartphone. After that, download the application.
Step 3: Launch KidsGuard Pro
Next, you need to click on the downloaded file to install the application. After this, launch this monitoring tool.
Step 4: Sign in to your account
On your kid’s phone, sign in using your account credentials and follow the setup procedure.
Step 5: Start monitoring
Once you have completed this setup procedure, log into the web panel of KidsGuard Pro. Finally, you can see detailed reports on your kid’s smartphone.
So, if you do not like AT&T Secure Family, then KidsGuard Pro is the best alternative to it. It is a highly sophisticated monitoring and parental control tool that lets parents track their child’s smartphones on a real-time basis. So, just create your account and enjoy its amazing features.
Part 3: Another Great Alternative to AT&T Parental Controls
Although AT&T parental controls offer reliable results, you are missing various amazing features. Also, the family members know that they are being monitored and can switch off their mobile whenever they like to get away with it.
AT&T Secure Family does not provide a solution for blocking applications and tracking social media platforms on the target device. If you like to have a reliable monitoring tool and parental control, then FamiSafe is what you need.
Wondershare FamiSafe comes with various advanced features, which make it a great alternative to AT&T parental controls.
And here is the full FamiSafe review for your reference.
- Using FamiSafe, users can monitor the real-time location of the target device. Plus, users can create geo-fences for getting real-time notifications.
- Moreover, users can also obtain the device’s location history to track their previous whereabouts and routes.
- One can limit device usage after setting up time-based restrictions. It even locks the smartphone and assists you in managing their time, like bedtime, homework, etc.
- Users could remotely unblock or block websites or applications.
- Parents can even view the web browsing history of their kid’s devices. So you will know what your kids are doing online.
- One can monitor the smartphone remotely with the Control Panel application or simply visit the app-based dashboard.
- This application is enormously user-friendly. One can perform the setup with no prior technical experience.
- FamiSafe is compatible with all leading Android or iOS devices.
- There is no requirement of rooting or jailbreaking the target smartphone.
So, now you know about all the best AT&T parental controls. Undoubtedly, AT&T Secure Family is an amazing parental control application for parents to monitor their children’s online activities.
However, this application does not just allow you to have complete control over your kids’ internet usage but also to see their real-time GPS location. However, AT&T parental controls are available for just registered AT&T users.
Therefore, not all users can benefit from this tool. So, it is best to go with KidsGuard Pro and FamiSafe for monitoring their kids’ regular online activity. So, just log in and start enjoying its free trial version now.