Bark is a parental internet monitoring app. It gives parents the tools they need to help keep their children safe online; parents use the app to help monitor their child’s online activity and ensure their safety.
Bark likes to say something along the lines of, “When you get your child a bike, you get them a helmet. When you give your child a smartphone or internet access, you get them an accountability/monitoring app.”
Each family has its differences and uniqueness. I do not think that 100% of families need an app as such; and at the same time, I know these kinds of apps are doing excellent work in helping prevent pornography and internet addiction.
So, yes, Bark’s analogy to the bicycle helmet definitely resonates with me. Being proactive in preventing addiction is better than being reactive in treating addiction.
Bark Features
Bark takes it one step further in that part of the monitoring scans text messages and many other forms of communication with the aim of detecting potentially harmful mental health symptoms that the child is communicating about online.
If you are looking for a program that is solely designed to assist with preventing or overcoming pornography addiction, Bark has extra monitoring features that you may not want or need.
If your child is over the age of 18, Bark is legally unable to monitor the internet activity of your adult child, even if they consent. As stated by Bark staff, “Doing so [would] violate our terms of service and jeopardize our AI as it is trained to analyze how children interact and alert parents to potential concerns.”
Bark includes social media monitoring, text and email monitoring, screen time management, web filtering, and parental alerts. The Bark method involves monitoring, detecting, alerting, and managing, very similar to the other internet accountability and monitoring software.
Here is a detailed list of the features that are available with Bark. I am in direct correspondence with staff at Bark. So, this information is directly from the company. I am just formatting in a way that saves you time and assists you in your decision-making process.
| Accountability partners | |
| Activity reporting | ✓ |
| Block apps | ✓ |
| Customer Support | ✓ |
| Customizable | ✓ |
| GPS location tracking | |
| Instant notifications | |
| Internet accountability | ✓ |
| Internet filtering | ✓ |
| Life resources | ✓ |
| Refund policy | 7-day free trial |
| Screen accountability | ✓ |
| Screen time management | ✓ |
| Search engine reporting | |
| Secure HTTPS encrypted | ✓ |
| Social media app monitoring | ✓ |
| Uninstall/tampering alerts | Limited, password protected |
From my experience working with Bark, they are very professional and very helpful. I have had a world class experience interacting with their support staff.
After reviewing your family’s needs and the features, if you come to the conclusion that Bark is right for your family and you, please click here to purchase a subscription. That is, I do receive a small percentage of that subscription fee. Conclusively, affiliate sales allow me to continue creating valuable content that is available at no cost to the general public. (Click here to read my full disclaimer on affiliate links.)
If you need assistance identifying your family’s needs, do not hesitate to contact me about my coaching services. I have plenty of experience providing therapy and coaching for families and couples.
If you have experience using this software app or another one like it, please share your experience with it. Does this software app meet the needs of your family and you? Please share your experience below.
