Best Parental Controls App for Your Apple Ecosystem

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If you’re reading this article, there is a very good chance that you and your family use Apple devices. Using Macs, iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices simply makes things easier for families, as the Apple ecosystem allows users to easily communicate and share information among family members.

While Apple does offer ways for parents to control and monitor their children’s online activities and communications, the built-in controls in iOS and macOS only go so far. Those controls do little to protect your kids from cyberbullying and predators while they’re online.

Unfortunately, it is easy for the bad actors of the world to prey on children, bullying them, enticing them to the dark corners of the web, and even luring them into face-to-face meetings.

Luckily, there are services and software available that do protect your child online, while also allowing them to monitor their online travels, even while they are playing video games online. (It is scary how much online bullying children receive while trying to enjoy a quick round of their favorite online game.)

While there are numerous services and apps you can access to protect your kids while they use their Apple devices, many of them are one-trick ponies, protecting them from only a single or a few online dangers. The good news is that there is a way to provide protection for your offspring while they’re online, and as an extra value, can even protect you and your personal information, both online and off.

Introducing Aura

Aura is a subscription service that protects the personal information for your entire family. Whether it’s just you and your spouse, or you’re the parents of an only child, or you’re the head of a Brady Bunch-esque brood, everyone in your immediate family is protected.

Aura offers several ways to protect your family, including VPN protection, virus and malware protection, password management, identity theft protection, and much more. But first, let’s take a look at how Aura protects your kids while they’re online.

Parental Controls and Safe Gaming

When you add your kids to your Aura account, it allows you to monitor them while they’re online, informing you when they access unsuitable websites, and allowing you to block their access to those sites.

You can also view which websites they’re accessing, you can also set time limits for apps and websites, which means you can control how long they spend online, even providing a way to “pause” the internet for those more stubborn children that just won’t follow the rules you’re laid down.

If your kids play video games online, there is a good chance that they’ve been cyberbullied while playing. There are also individuals out there that would love to lure your child to the darker corners of the web, where they could be taken advantage of.

Aura monitors your offspring’s gaming, alerting you about threats and bullying 24/7, thanks to its in-game voice and text monitoring. This monitoring feature is currently compatible with 200+ popular Mac and PC games.

Family Fraud Alerts

Aura monitors the web for online fraud that could affect your family members and their personal and financial data. Aura will alert you when any of your family members have had their personal information exposed in a data breach or when their information has been used by a bad guy for personal gain. Aura also monitors the Social Security Numbers of you, your spouse, and your children, while also monitoring all three credit bureaus for any unauthorized activity.

VPN Protection, Antivirus, and Malware Protection

Aura offers VPN protection for Macs, iPhones, and iPads, keeping your entire family’s online travels free from being monitored, blocked, or intercepted. While Aura’s VPN doesn’t allow you to select a location like many other providers do, it does offer comprehensive online protection, encasing your internet connection in a protective tunnel of encryption. This hides the online activities of you and yours from anyone that is attempting to track your online usage.

If you and your family go online, it’s very easy to get infected with viruses and malware. One ill-advised click while your child is searching for a video game cheat code and your devices could be infected. Aura’s virus protection shields against, viruses, malware, ransomware, adware, and other online threats.

Password and File Vault

Last, but certainly not least, Aura offers a password manager and a digital vault. The password manager allows users to create, store, and recall secure passwords, without ever duplicating a password. (Using the same password on multiple sites makes it easier for hackers to break into your accounts.)

Aura’s file vault feature allows family members to securely store and share files, documents, and other important information with other family members.

Pricing

Aura subscriptions are available in three separate tiers. There is individual protection, protection for couples, and protection for entire families.

The “Individual” level of service protects a single user and is $12 per month when you opt for an annual subscription or $15 per month when opt to pay monthly.

The “Couples” subscription option covers two users and is priced at $22 per month when paying for 12 months upfront, or $29 per month when paying monthly.

The “Family” level of service protects both parents and an unlimited number of children. Family protection is $37 per month when paying annually, or $50 per month if you opt for month-to-month protection.

In Closing

As I’ve covered above, the internet is a dangerous place for you and especially your offspring. By using Aura, you can protect yourself and all of your children while you’re online, keeping bad guys and troublemakers at arm’s length.

I strongly recommend giving Aura a try. While the provider is a bit expensive, the services it offers make it a great value, while also making it easy to keep track of everything through a single interface. Plus, with the 14-day free trial, you can’t go wrong.

Visit Aura’s homepage here.