Norton Family

As kids spend more and more time online using various devices, parents rightly worry about protecting them from inappropriate content, managing screen time, and guarding their privacy. This is where robust and easy-to-use parental control apps like Norton Family can provide much-needed oversight and peace of mind. In this review, we’ll take an in-depth look at the features, pricing, ease of use, and effectiveness of Norton Family in order to help parents determine if it’s the right solution for their family’s needs.

An Overview of Norton Family

Norton Family allows parents to supervise their kids’ activity across their Windows PCs, Android devices, iPhones/iPads, and even Mac devices. It enables you to filter inappropriate websites, block content based on age-ratings, set time limits for app/device usage, track locations, and monitor social media activity. Parents can view activity reports and get notifications about potential issues to stay up-to-date. It’s a comprehensive parental control app that covers the essentials while also providing unique tools like video supervision powered by artificial intelligence.

Norton Family is included in Norton 360 paid plans, which also provide robust antivirus protection for your family’s devices. As far as how much it costs, the basic Norton 360 Deluxe plan that includes Norton Family parental controls is $49.99 per year for 5 devices. But you can expand protection up to 10 devices for your family with Norton 360 with LifeLock that starts from $99.99 per year. We’ll dive deeper into plans and pricing details later on.

Key Features & Benefits

Let’s look closer at the key features Norton Family offers to help you keep your kids safe online and manage device usage across their connected devices:

Website Filtering

Norton Family makes it easy to block websites across categories like explicit content, violence, gambling and others based on a child’s age. This helps avoid exposure to inappropriate content. You can also add specific sites to always block or always allow custom lists.

Search Filtering

Inappropriate search engine results can be filtered based on kids’ ages. You can lock down safe search settings so mature content doesn’t seep through.

Time Supervision

This enables you to set daily time limits for app categories, specific apps or entire devices. So you can manage just how much time your kids spend on social media, games, chat apps or using their smartphones, tablets and computers.

Location Tracking

Using a location map, you can view the recent and current locations of your kids on an Android or iOS device. Location check-ins are triggered automatically or kids can check-in manually.

Panic Alert for Android

If your child feels unsafe or encounters an emergency situation, they can send you an automatic alert by just pressing their device’s power button quickly 5 times. You’ll get notified so you can coordinate help.

Video Supervision with AI

Complementing website filters, Video Supervision uses AI to analyze videos kids view on Windows devices for violence, drug use, explicit language, weapons, gore, crimes, crude humor and more. You receive alerts on inappropriate videos so you’re aware and can take action.

Social Media Monitoring

Get insight into your kids’ activity on popular social platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. You’ll be alerted about potential risks like cyberbullying, inappropriate sharing or suspicious accounts contacting your child. Requires Norton Family Premium or is included with Norton 360 plans.

App Blocking & Reporting

In addition to monitoring app usage, you can fully block apps on kids’ Android and iOS devices for better oversight. App activity reporting provides useful insights too.

Web Activity Reports

Norton Family makes it easy to understand your kids’ web use patterns via helpful activity reports. You can check sites visited, search terms used, time spent on sites/categories and attempted website blocks.

Text Message Monitoring (Android only)

Gain visibility into your kids’ SMS/MMS messaging activities on their Android devices. See messages sent and received for your awareness.

Distraction-Free Learning

When kids need to buckle down and focus on remote learning activities, you can temporarily block apps and websites that tend to distract them.

Cross-Platform Protection

Norton Family parental controls work across your kids’ Windows PCs, Mac computers, Android smartphones/tablets, iPhones, iPads and Kindle Fire devices.

Ease of Use

Getting started with Norton Family is straightforward. Simply download the app onto your child’s device or log into Norton Family online to access the parental dashboard. As you set up supervision for each child, you’ll step through screens to configure filters, time limits, location sharing and alerts based on their age. Nice touches include a fun Kid’s Portal where they can review time allowances, usage reports and request more device access from parents.

Within the parent dashboard, you’ll be able to tweak settings and view activity reports with a few taps or clicks. The well-designed interface makes it simple to dive deep into usage data or change configuration preferences at any time. Expect minimal hassle from download to daily use. Just be aware that full functionality for iOS devices requires enabling mobile device management (MDM) permissions and installing root certificates.

Effectiveness

With robust device filtering and activity tracking tools for the leading platforms kids use, Norton Family parental controls definitely deliver on effectiveness. The dynamic filters ensure inappropriate content is consistently blocked across websites, apps, videos and social platforms. Time supervision guarantees kids don’t exceed daily device limits across any browser or app as well. Additional location tracking and alerts provide that extra layer of protection and awareness parents need in the digital age.

While no parental control app delivers 100% coverage, Norton Family checks all the essential boxes for effectiveness. Social media and video supervision leveraging AI definitely takes it to the next level too. As long as you take the time to view activity reports and tweak filters occasionally, you can ensure your preferred restrictions hold up over months of use.

Pricing & Plans

Most parental control apps only permit monitoring 3-5 devices at once or levy extra subscription fees for expanded device coverage. This is not the case with Norton Family, since it comes included with Norton 360 plans covering up to 10 devices.

Here’s a breakdown of the pricing options:

• Norton 360 Deluxe – $49.99 per year (5 devices supported)
• Norton 360 with LifeLock Select – $99.99 per year (10 devices supported)

As you can see, Norton 360 Deluxe offers strong value at just under $5 per device monthly for robust antivirus protection coupled with parental controls. Even bumping up to the 10 device plan still keeps costs down at $9 per device yearly. Furthermore, on top of Norton Family parental supervision tools, you’re also getting leading antivirus, a VPN, dark web monitoring, a password manager and more with Norton 360 plans.

Before subscribing, you can try out Norton Family parental controls free for 30 days. This allows testing device filtering, time limits and location tracking across the various platforms completely risk-free.

How To Set Up Norton Family

Getting started with Norton Family only takes a few minutes. Simply follow these steps:

1. Create your Norton account if you don’t already have one and purchase one of the Norton 360 plans based on your device coverage needs.
2. Download the Norton Family parental control app from Google Play or the App Store onto your child’s Android or iOS mobile device.
3. You can also download the Windows app from Norton’s website or enable the Norton Family browser extension on your child’s Mac computer.
4. Log into your Norton Family dashboard via web browser or mobile app. Click “Add Child” and provide your kid’s name and date of birth.
5. Choose which filters you want enabled by default based on age, like blocking adult content, enforcing safe search, restricting mature apps and so on.
6. To manage time limits, toggle “Time Supervision” on for your child’s device and select daily limits for app categories, specific apps or overall device use.
7. Enable location sharing if desired, allowing you to view your child’s location on Android/iOS phones or tablets at any time.
8. For additional social media, video and text message supervision, upgrade to Norton Family Premium or a Norton 360 plan.
9. Ask your child to login to the Kid’s Portal on their device to view permitted usage times, activity reports and request additional access.

That covers the basics of getting Norton Family set up across your kid’s Windows computers, Macs, Android gadgets and iOS devices. It’s a streamlined process taking less than 10 minutes total. You can tweak restrictions, time limits and filters further at any point.

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, online safety for kids comes down to effective parental control software and involved parenting. Norton Family nicely balances both by giving parents visibility and control across devices while still allowing kids reasonable freedom based on age-appropriate settings. Instead of “spying” on your kids, it facilitates an open conversation around developing healthy digital habits.

With social media and internet use integral parts of kids’ lives today, Norton Family parental controls deliver confidence for both children and parents alike. Comprehensive supervision tools, multi-platform support, AI-enhanced protections and affordable pricing as part of Norton 360 plans make it our top choice for peace of mind in the digital age.