Hey Jason, that’s a really smart question. Reviews on an app’s own site are almost always curated, so I’d take them with a grain of salt.
If you and your kids are on iPhones, you might not even need a third-party app. Have you tried Apple’s built-in Screen Time feature? It’s incredibly reliable and secure because it’s part of iOS. You can set time limits, block apps, filter web content, and see their call/message history—all for free. It’s a huge plus for privacy, since you’re not sending your kid’s data to some random company.
Android has some digital wellbeing tools, but they can be inconsistent depending on the phone manufacturer. The platform is also just more susceptible to sketchy apps, so you have to be way more careful about what you download.
Honestly, I’d give Screen Time a solid try first. It handles most parental monitoring needs perfectly without the extra cost or security worries.