Trend Micro Family
Trend Micro is a Japanese-American software company specializing in security tools. It offers a broad suite of antivirus, privacy protection, and internet security software, some of which are free. The company released Trend Micro Family, a dedicated parental control app, in 2021. It gives parents an easy way to monitor their kids online and ensure the content they see is age-appropriate.
Many parents are concerned about their kids spending too much time on their devices or accessing improper online content, and Trend Micro built its parental control app in response to demand from such parents. The company developed Trend Micro Family as part of its Internet Safety for Kids & Families program, a philanthropic initiative aimed at educating people on using the internet safely and responsibly.
We tested the Trend Micro Family app to give you an unbiased review that’ll help you decide if it’s the right tool for you or not. We assessed the app based on specific criteria, including features, ease of use, compatibility, etc.
Plans and Pricing
It doesn’t cost a dime to download the Trend Micro Family app. You can download the app from the official Trend Micro website or the respective Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android app stores.
Features
Website Filtering
You can block specific websites from your children’s device with Trend Micro Family. This way, they won’t ever access content from websites you find inappropriate or malicious.
Third-Party Tracker/Ad Blocking
The Trend Micro Family app lets you block all third-party trackers from extracting information about your child’s device or block online advertisements entirely. Malicious actors (e.g., gambling and porn sites) often use advertisements to entice kids towards inappropriate content. Likewise, they use online trackers to collect information to teach them how to target kids more effectively. This feature helps you outmaneuver them in one swoop.
Blur Inappropriate Images and Videos
The app has an in-built artificial intelligence system to detect inappropriate content in search results and social media feeds in real-time and blur them away from your child’s sight.
Social Media Checker
Many parents prevent their kids from having social media accounts entirely, while many others let their kids create social media profiles. If you fall into the second camp, it’s necessary to monitor how your kids use social media, e.g., preventing strangers from contacting them and ensuring they don't spend excessive time on it. Likewise, you should optimize your kids’ security and privacy settings, which they likely can’t do themselves.
Trend Micro Family enables you to control the social media settings on your child’s Instagram or Snapchat account. The company promises to add support for TikTok and Facebook in the future.
Screen Time
You can use the Trend Micro Family app to monitor how long your children spend on each app on which hours of the day they spend most on their electronics. This information is critical if you want to encourage healthy digital habits.
Searched Keyword Alerts
You can set Trend Micro Family to alert you if your child searches for specific keywords on the internet. Parents also have the option to modify the frequency and sensitivity of the alerts.
Interface and in use
To use Trend Micro Family, you'd need to download two separate apps; Trend Micro Family for Parents and Trend Micro Family for Kids. The former is for the parent’s device and the latter for the child’s. You must create separate accounts for each of them. The parent app will guide you step-by-step on how to link your account with your child’s so that you can monitor them. You can repeat the linking procedure for as many devices as available in your household.
Trend Micro Family for Kids comes with a complimentary extension on the Google Chrome browser to ensure children surf the web safely.
Customer Support
You can contact Trend Micro’s support representatives through email, live chat, or telephone if you face challenges when using the app. Email inquiries typically get a response within 48 hours. Before that, there’s an extensive Knowledge Base on the company’s official website with tutorials and how-tos on using the Trend Micro Family app.
Trend Micro’s telephone support line occasionally clogs when there’s too much demand, giving customers significant wait times.
The Competition
There are many other parental control apps competing with Trend Micro Family. They include Qustodio, SentryPC, OurPact, and Screen Time. Trend Micro doesn’t offer several features that these rival apps provide, e.g., key logging. But, Trend Micro Family is entirely free, while these competitors aren’t.
Final Verdict
Technology has its good and bad sides. The internet provides access to extensive learning resources kids can take advantage of and, on the other hand, content that isn't beneficial for them. It's a parent's duty to prevent their kids from entering the unsuitable parts of the internet, and Trend Micro Family is a practical tool to help them achieve that.
Buying Guide
Trend Micro Family is a free parental control app made by an eponymous Japanese-American cybersecurity software company. It allows parents to monitor their kids' online activities and ensure they don't visit the wrong parts of the internet. The app is compatible with the Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms.
Trend Micro Family has an easy-to-use interface. It’s one of the few parental control apps that allow parents to optimize the security and privacy settings of their children's social media accounts. Though, the app doesn't offer a handful of features that you'd find in many competitors, such as calls and text monitoring.
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