Can Bark be bypassed?

Yes, many of Bark’s features can be bypassed. The VPN that handles Bark’s website and app filtering and screen time features can easily be turned off in the Android device settings. This allows your child to access websites and use apps freely. Bark will send an alert to your dashboard if this happens, but it can’t prevent your child from disabling the VPN. During my tests, I was also able to use the Brave browser to prevent Bark from monitoring my browsing history. Bark never alerted me that Brave had been installed, and I was also never notified when I visited websites that should have triggered alerts. For a parental control app that is able to block and monitor the Brave browser, I recommend Net Nanny .

Can my child delete the Bark app?

Yes, it’s pretty easy to uninstall the Bark for Kids app. Bark didn’t prevent me in any way from uninstalling the app from my child’s Android device. This disabled Bark’s website and app filtering, screen time management, and monitoring of text messages, photos, and videos, but Bark kept monitoring activity on accounts I had connected through the dashboard. It took Bark nearly an hour to alert me that the app had been deleted, which would be plenty of time for any child to get into trouble if they purposely deleted the app to bypass the parental controls. I recommend using a parental control app that provides uninstall protections like Qustodio or Net Nanny .

What does Bark monitor?

Bark monitors texts, photos, and videos on your child’s device, as well as activity on 30+ social media platforms and apps. It monitors your child’s activity at the account level and will alert you of potential issues regardless of what device your child is using, even without installing the app.

Can Bark track my child’s location?

Bark allows parents to request a check-in from their child , which then requires the child to open the app and respond. You can also create a list of addresses and receive an alert any time your child arrives at or leaves one of these locations. Bark’s location tracking doesn’t allow you to view your child’s location in real-time the way competitors like Qustodio and Net Nanny do.

What devices can Bark monitor?

Bark has monitoring apps for Android, iOS, and Chromebooks. Monitoring iOS devices works a little differently and requires a few extra steps to get set up , but Bark provides step-by-step guides to help you get started.

Will Bark slow down my child’s device?

Any parental control or monitoring app can slow your device a bit, but it should never be significant. During my tests, I never noticed Bark slowing down my computer or my child’s devices.