BARK Review: How to stop kids from seeing porn

Inside: Unsure about which parental control software to use? Read this BARK review to find out if it’s the right one for how your family uses the internet.

This blogpost is a review of the BARK app and how it can help to protect your child from exposure to porn.

And because I am a parent and not very technology-savvy (I still don’t know how to change channels on our TV properly), this review will be very practical (and not technical!).

Remember, I’m not a cybersafety expert (and I don’t pretend to be).

If you’d like to learn more about parental controls (and why you might need them), please read this blogpost, where I talk about parental control software.

You’ll find more information about porn in my Pornography 101 page.

What is BARK?

BARK is a program that you install onto your desktop computer, laptop, smartphones and tablets. You don’t need to buy any special equipment (like a router) to use it.

It works on Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and Kindle. CLICK HERE to see all the different devices and things BARK will monitor.

Bark monitors texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for signs of issues like cyberbullying, sexual content, online predators, depression, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more. And with content monitoring, you can get email and text alerts when Bark detects potential issues so you can talk to your child and make sure everything is OK. Plus it allows you to set up screen time and to block websites.

You can only use BARK if you live in Australia, South Africa or the United States.

How do you install BARK?

It’s pretty simple actually. (Yes, even I managed to install it!)

The first thing you’ll do is sign up for a free trial.

This is for 7 days and will give you enough time to set it up, and have a play around with it. So make sure you do it on a day when you have all laptops and hand-held devices in front of you.

You will need all of your kids at home (in case they have some passwords you don’t know) and a partner to help you (in case you get stuck). I like to involve the whole family in the setting up of parental controls as participation can help with acceptance!

The first account you’ll set up is the Parent/Guardian account. This is the master account where you control all of the settings. And it is the account that the kid’s can’t access. (You don’t want the kids accessing this account or they will change the settings to what they want.)

Then you’ll set up accounts for each kid.

Once you’ve set up an account for each child, Bark will take you through an onboarding process. It will walk you through what you need to do. You’ll need to download an app to all handheld devices and Bark will walk you through what to do with the computers (as you need to log into different programs). And just in case you are already panicking, it was a pretty simple process and the instructions from BARK are very detailed. Each kid helped me to set up everything on their devices and computers.

You just download an app to your phone, download a program to your computer or just log into the Qustodio Family Protection Portal through your internet browser.You need to install it to your own computer or device. This way you can control the settings. Having it on your phone means you can quickly make changes.You’ll also need to install it onto your child’s device/s.And if you have any problems, just contact their customer support or visit their help page. I have found them very helpful!

TIP: Download the APP to your phone so that your controls are always accessible. My kids will sometimes need extra access if they are doing school work at bedtime or a time when they are usually computer-free.

What does BARK do?

Maybe I should rephrase this to – What can’t BARK do! As BARK can pretty much do anything!

I’ve used a lot of different parental controls over the years. Some I tried to set up and gave up in frustration as they were just too complicated to set up!

Some didn’t allow flexibility with time limits and what programs/apps kids can use. Which meant the restrictions were either too strict or too lax – or you have to turn them off and then remember to turn them back on again.

There’s a number of different things that BARK can do.

These are the things that I like about it!

Now, a word of caution. Depending on your parenting style (and each individual child), some features you will like and some you won’t. So just switch off the features you don’t want to use, like monitoring their calls and texts.

Monitors content 24/7. BARK will scan texts, emails and 30+ apps and social media accounts. It won’t allow you to spy on everything but it will let you know if you should be concerned (by sending you an alert).

Blocks websites & APPS. BARK will limit access to inappropriate and distracting material. So you can block porn sites and anything else that feel is unsuitable.

Manage screen time. BARK helps you to control when your child watches the internet and for how long. For example, my son can’t watch YouTube during the week but he can when he is in class at school.

Controls online games and apps. So you can control what they are playing on and for how long. For example, I block YouTube during the week and allow 2 hours of access on weekends.

Monitors activity. So you can see what they are doing when online and decide if they need to have more balanced use. For example, my son spends waaay too much time on YouTube, so I now restrict his access. Which means he now spends more time building things on Minecraft (which requires creativity, problem-solving, self-direction instead of the mindlessness of just watching videos).

Monitors social media networks. So you can see how much time they are spending on social media, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.

Advanced Social Monitoring (that comes with the paid plan) where you can track what your child writes on Twitter, Yahoo Messenger, chats on Facebook and with whom, but it is not possible to read the actual conversation.

Monitors calls & SMS. BARK won’t let you read everything but they will monitor text messages as well as any attached pictures, audio and videos. If they find any words or media that you want to know about, BARK will alert you of it.

Get location updates. BARK will let you know where they are out with their device. You can also set alerts to tell you when they leave or arrive at a location you’ve added eg. when they arrive or leave school.

BARK run a fantastic FaceBook parent group – Parenting in a Tech World. It is a good place to ask questions about BARK but also to see how other parents tackle these conversations. I am a member and I find it very helpful!

What does BARK look like inside?

I’ve made a video where I’ll take you inside the dashboard inside the BARK DashBoard.

I’ll show you the settings that I have made for my two children, and you’ll be able to see the different ways that you can use BARK.

I have a 12 year old son who is super curious and spends a lot of time on YouTube. And I also have a 16 year old daughter who is pretty mature and level headed but she does spend a lot of time playing Sims, watching Netflix and chatting to a small circle of friends via messenger.

I have also tested BARK, in regards to typing in search terms that usually bring up porn, as well as visited a porn site! And yes, it did block the sexually explicit stuff!

Will my child know that I’m using parental controls

Yes, they will know you are using BARK as they will see it listed in their installed APPS list.

But that is one of the main reasons that I like BARK parental controls – their transparency i.e. they don’t try to hide what parents are doing.

The best way to use parental controls is with the cooperation of your child.

Plus being open and honest with your child means that they feel safe to talk to you about their experiences online.

Let them know what you are doing and why. Let them see what the settings and restrictions are and the type of information you will receive. Reassure them that you aren’t spying on them, and that instead BARK will let you know about things that will affect their safety.

Plus it is a great way to start conversations about internet safety. Since we installed BARK in our house, I have had a lot more discussions with my kids about internet safety.

So what do I really think of BARK?

BARK is the third version of parental controls we have used, and honestly, I like it. I like the individualised settings as they mean that I can set things up in a way that works for my family.

And it is pretty easy to install and then set up!

Just make sure you go in and test it. So that you know how it works and that it works properly. For example, I looked for porn on my 16 year old’s tablet, and found it. I then went and checked the settings and realised that I hadn’t actually set up the restrictions. Once I changed the setting, porn was then blocked.

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