Brian S Hall

Net Nanny offers the best web-filtering features of any parental control program.

This solid program handles the basics of monitoring a child’s mobile phone, but rival services offer more extensive features.

Extensive controls – particularly for app management, text monitoring, and location tracking – make this a great choice for parents who want some control over their child’s mobile activity.

The iOS version of Norton's monitoring service is a robust, easy-to-set-up tool that keeps parents informed about what their kids are doing with their iPhones.

Qustodio has added more features to its iOS parental control app, but you’re still pretty limited as to what you can monitor.

Despite detailed activity logs, Mobile Spy lacks the extensive controls to make it an effective program for managing how your child uses their phone.