Today, more than ever, it has become even more complicated to protect every single phone and gadget your kids use, let alone monitor their activities online.
Luckily, alongside good stand-alone parental control apps, many quality antiviruses with free parental control are available. This option is a modern-day solution to modern-day problems.
A parental control antivirus software helps you protect your kid’s devices from viruses and malicious websites. It also helps block harmful or inappropriate content and monitor your kids’ social media and web activities. Not only that, but it also protects your devices from the danger of the web, making your whole family safer.
However, there are hundreds of antivirus software available, and it is difficult to select the best one offering suitable parental control features. Therefore, we performed thorough research for you and selected the 9 best antivirus software with built-in parental controls. Let’s read along to determine what each antivirus program offers.
Best parental control antivirus software – Quick list
- Norton 360 Deluxe – Has robust tools to provide comprehensive protection to your entire family.
- Kaspersky Total Security – Offers a useful feature to protect your kids online and offline.
- Bitdefender Total Security – An economical choice that offers cross-platform protection on a single subscription.
- BullGuard Internet Security – Provides unique features like dynamic machine learning to improve online protection.
- Webroot Internet Security Complete – Scans millions of URLs, apps, and files to verify the safety of the websites you visit and the content you access.
- McAfee LiveSafe – Has passed the test of time as one of the best antivirus software to keep you safe online.
- Trend Micro Maximum Security – An all-around privacy tool that harnesses AI power to protect you from various online threats.
- Avast Premium Security – Protects all corners of your online privacy and keeps your devices running at peak performance.
- Qustodio – Although not antivirus software, it will help you protect and manage your kids’ devices.
Why you need to use parental controls
Although technology has definitely been a good tool in educating children (in certain aspects), cybercriminals’ risk is still there.
It can’t be stressed enough how valuable the benefits of using parental control antivirus are. More than anything, it protects your kids from the dangers of what’s known as cybercrime, which is very prevalent today.
Besides that, you can also monitor their web history and use it to help them be more mindful of what they do online, especially what they post on their social media accounts, which can affect their online reputation. There have been several reports regarding certain “accidents” that kids would post online that could tarnish their online reputation.
As a parent, it is important to guide them through the web and safely navigate the internet. A parental control antivirus will also let you regulate how long your kids can operate their gadgets to have more time on the essential things.
Last but not least, it lets you back up the data from their devices so they won’t lose anything meaningful or useful. With the inevitable use of technology for the younger generation (for educational and other personal purposes), it is essential to protect even your child’s data.
9 best antivirus software with parental controls
Getting the best antivirus software entails finding the best supplier that prioritizes parental controls. Although several antivirus programs exist today, it is rare for them to put parental control at heart.
Here are a few antivirus software that prioritizes parental controls just as much as you do:
1. Norton 360 Deluxe
Norton 360 Deluxe is a premium antivirus and privacy software. As its name implies, it offers 360 degrees of protection for the entire family, which is quite comforting because this antivirus software provides what the grownups want. It also gives the user what the family needs.
It has robust tools to help you secure every aspect of your online presence. However, its highlight tool is its Norton family parental control, which has these key features:
- Location Supervision. Be informed about the location of your kids.
- Mobile App Supervision. Regulate what apps they can only use and review what they’ve downloaded.
- School Time. Lock your child’s device to school and learning apps to prevent distractions during school time.
- Search Supervision. Find out what they’re searching for on the web.
- Time Supervision. Schedule when and for how long your kids can use their devices.
- Video Supervision. Find out what videos they are watching online.
- Web Supervision. View their web history and block harmful and inappropriate websites.
These features will be less effective if you don’t have easy access to them. Luckily, it has a very convenient parental control dashboard, which you can view anywhere you are, and that provides you with a bird’s eye view of your child’s online activity, making safety just within your reach.
2. Kaspersky Total Security
Kaspersky Total Security is one of the best-selling privacy and security suites at the moment. With a simplified cybersecurity approach, this particular security tool can help the user customize a safe environment for the kids.
It is more than just antivirus software. In fact, it has over 87 technologies that you can purchase with just one license. One of its highly useful features is the Kaspersky Safe Kids, which helps you to protect your kids both online and in the real world. There is so much that it offers, but these are the best it has:
- Prevent harmful YouTube searches.
- Block adult content and websites.
- Manage their device screen time.
- Regulate what apps and games they can use and play.
- Advice and tips from several child psychologists about online topics.
- Alerts when your kid’s phone battery is running low.
- Locate your child through GPS.
- Define an area for them and receive alerts when they leave it.
Aside from those, it also has advanced security functions such as virus and crypto lockers protection, which safeguard your devices from harmful software like malware that locks your data or computer and requires a payment of a ransom to unlock.
3. Bitdefender Total Security
Another highly rated antivirus software, Bitdefender Total Security, offers cross-platform protection for a single purchase. This could be considered the more “economical” choice when it comes to picking antivirus software that is good for the whole family.
Yes, it has the usual privacy-focused tools, but the bundled Parental Control makes it an economical choice for everyone out there. For a unified price, you will get these essential features like app monitoring, safe browsing, screen-time limits, and location tracking for your kid’s device.
One thing to note is that, unlike other similar software, it’s not very intuitive and requires much time to learn its features and usage. Nonetheless, it’s still a solid choice.
4. BullGuard Internet Security
Bullguard is highly mentioned and reviewed antivirus software with parental internet controls across many publications on the web. The many reviews suggest that this antivirus has upheld what it promises to provide.
Its popularity is because it has many features and capabilities you can’t easily find anywhere else, such as a secure browser, gaming booster, and cloud-integrated backup. Also, unlike your typical antivirus software, Bullguard is enhanced with dynamic machine learning, which results in a faster threat detection and processing rate.
Above all, its Parental Controls enable you to protect your kids online by blocking suspicious websites, establishing search filters, limiting their online time, monitoring their web activity, and even blocking certain applications on their devices.
5. Webroot Internet Security Complete
With Webroot, you will be assured that your online activity and devices are secure. Simply put, this antivirus software gives the most necessary protection to its users when navigating the web. This is also applicable when it comes to parental control software since a few features are very customizable to make it useful for protecting children.
It claims it scans millions of URLs, apps, and files from the web daily to determine where and what is safe on the internet. Through this, it can provide a reliable antivirus program that helps you stay safe online and ensure your devices are protected. It’s one of the best software with internet parental controls that has some serious top-of-the-line privacy features, namely:
- Accounts and login protection
- Blocks phishing sites
- Fast scans without interruption
- Firewall and network protection
- Identity security
- Online activity cleaner
- Ransomware protection
- Excellent threat protection for Macs and PCs
Webroot WiFi Security + Virus Protection is also a very effective tool to protect yourself from unsecured WiFi, malicious or risky websites, and secure browsing to protect your online identity and privacy.
6. McAfee LiveSafe
McAfee LiveSafe is an award-winning antivirus software highly regarded for protecting devices online and offline. One of the earliest antivirus software ever, this particular product has been tested and proven for years and years to be able to protect users and their families.
It is available for all platforms for a subscription and has some elegant privacy features. With this being said, antivirus software has evolved through the years while adding new security methods every now and then to provide a thick level of security for its users.
These are some of its main strengths:
- Vulnerability scanner. Installs and scans Windows applications’ updates.
- Identity theft protection.
- Anti-spam. Remove junk emails before your inbox receives them.
- Password Manager. Generate, store, and manage all your passwords in a single secure place. Never reuse passwords again.
- PC Optimization. Optimize your PC to run faster by focusing on a single task automatically.
- McAfee Shredder. Ensures sensitive data are deleted and that no traces are left behind.
It also has a perk of free customer support via phone or chat for the entirety of your subscription. This is actually something relatively underappreciated but can also be very useful, especially when dealing with major security problems.
7. Trend Micro Maximum Security
Trend Micro Maximum Security is an all-rounded privacy tool. Instead of being an antivirus, it prides itself on a user protection solution. This particular antivirus software prides itself on user protection solutions, which help shield the user from potential threats.
Its central premise is to protect all your transactions and devices online. Along with its great parental controls, its features are appealing when you want a way to safeguard your entire online presence.
What it excels in among the competition are its advanced AI abilities, which harness the power of machine learning to better understand and protect everyone like you from different types of threats and viruses in a more intelligent and faster process.
Also, these are its key features:
- Leading protection for ransomware
- Identity theft safeguard
- Advanced AI learning
- Virus and spyware removal
- Scam and phishing protection
- Secures online banking
- Protects your kids online
8. Avast Premium Security
Avast calls its service a 3D online solution. It is because it protects all corners of your online privacy and devices–and keeps them running at their peak performance.
The family element of this particular antivirus software is found in the way it helps block possible hackers that could steal your or your family’s data.
Since kids are not always that careful, it is important to keep their devices safe every time they log into an insecure wifi connection, etc. This particular feat makes this antivirus perfect for protecting kids.
Its main takeaway is that it provides you with the best solution for privacy, security, and performance. Especially on the performance side, this antivirus software can boost performance by eliminating harmful threats.
To do that, it has built around several powerful security tools, such as:
- A very secure Virtual Private Network for when you want to connect to public wifi hotspots.
- A junk-remover tool for keeping your devices performing at optimal speeds and many more.
Those features are good; however, its headline function is excellent protection from viruses, ransomware, phishing, and hackers.
9. Qustodio
Although Qustodio is not antivirus software, it’s still worth recommending since it’s an excellent parental control app. Basically, this is the ultimate parental control app, but the downside is it does not focus much on protection but on control.
It appeared on several TV shows and publications because of its functionalities and how easy it is to secure your family’s devices. Qustodio Free is a service that allows you to protect and manage your child’s devices. It also boasts its easy-to-use interface, which it calls to see, manage and smile.
If you’re interested, these are its main features:
- Ability to block pornography
- Control screen time
- Kid locator
- Manage games and apps
- Monitor YouTube activities
- Panic button for Android
- Social network monitoring
- Track SMS and calls on Android
How to set up an antivirus with parental control – Quick Guide
Follow these steps to install and use an antivirus software with parental control:
- Sign up for an antivirus with parental control.
- Download and install the antivirus app from the app store or the official provider’s website.
- Access parental controls.
- Create your kid’s profile.
- Activate parental controls on your kids’ devices.
Parental control Antiviruses to avoid
These antiviruses have a good reputation in malware protection but didn’t make the cut because they lack built-in parental control features.
TotalAV
TotalAV is a reputable antivirus with impressive real-time malware protection and other essential security features. It is among the few antivirus programs with built-in VPN, but we couldn’t include it on this list because it lacks parental control.
Microsoft Defender
Windows’ built-in antivirus offers sufficient security against online threats. However, we didn’t recommend it because it does not offer a parental control feature to ensure your children’s online safety. Microsoft Defender has basic app filtering, screen time restrictions, and web filtering.
How we tested the best antiviruses with parental control
We applied the following criteria when choosing the best antiviruses with parental control on this list.
- Real-time malware protection – We chose apps that offer real-time security to protect you and your kids’ devices against malware.
- Parental control suite – We selected antiviruses with reliable parental control features that allow you to monitor and manage your children’s online activities.
- User-friendly – We prioritized apps with intuitive interfaces that are easy to navigate and access features.
- Web protection – We picked apps with dependable web protection and web filtering to safeguard you and your kids from malicious sites.
- Customer support – The apps on this list have reliable customer support to help you if you need assistance.
- Value for money – We chose affordable apps offering premium features.
- Money-back guarantee – We considered apps with money-back guarantees to enable you to test them without financial risk.
Are parental controls necessary for antivirus software?
Online parental controls will help you quickly identify what’s wrong with your kid’s web activities and conveniently manage their device. Guidelines and measures are essential to maintain healthy online habits and usage, especially for your kids.
There are many antivirus software out there, but none of those performs better when compared to what’s included in the list. It’s always good to keep your children safe from threats from one parent to another. Share this post and allow parents the benefit of protecting their children on the internet.
