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Parental controls app that filters content across 45+ categories including bullying, sexual content, hate speech, and drug-related sites
Instant Lock lets you freeze your child's entire device remotely, with no way to uninstall the app without your login
Covers up to 15 children and comes included with several Norton 360 plans at no extra cost
All About Cookies is an independent, advertising-supported website. Some of the offers that appear on this site are from third-party advertisers from which All About Cookies receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).
All About Cookies does not include all financial or credit offers that might be available to consumers nor do we include all companies or all available products. Information is accurate as of the publishing date and has not been provided or endorsed by the advertiser.
The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
Norton Family is an effective, affordable parental control app, and it won our Editors' Choice as the best option for iPhone with a 4.8 star rating. It handles the core jobs well: web filtering, screen time, and location tracking, all in an app that's easy to use, covering up to 15 kids for about $4.00/mo. The one real gap is conversation monitoring, so it can't read texts, social messages, or emails.
In this review, we tested Norton Family hands-on to evaluate its content filtering, app monitoring, location tracking, and overall ease of use. Below, we explain where it performs well, where it falls short, and which types of families may prefer alternatives like Bark or Qustodio.
Offers age-based restriction levels that are easy to customiz
Strong web filtering and search monitoring across 45+ categories
Real-time alerts for blocked sites, searches, and location activity
No monitoring for texts, social media messages, or email conversations
Not compatible with macOS or Chromebooks, and iOS support is more limited
| Price | Starts at $49.99/yr (about $4.17/mo) |
| Free trial | Yes — 30 days |
| Number of kids supported | Up to 15 |
| Content filtering | Yes |
| Conversation monitoring | No |
| Screen time management | Yes |
| Location tracking | Yes |
| Activity reports | Yes |
| Remote lock | Yes |
| Supported devices | Windows, Android, iOS |
| Learn more | Get Norton Family |
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Parental controls app that filters content across 45+ categories including bullying, sexual content, hate speech, and drug-related sites
Instant Lock lets you freeze your child's entire device remotely, with no way to uninstall the app without your login
Covers up to 15 children and comes included with several Norton 360 plans at no extra cost
We found Norton Family easy to set up and genuinely useful for monitoring a child’s online activity without overwhelming the parent dashboard. After purchasing a subscription, we installed it on an Android phone and reviewed all controls and alerts from a Lenovo ThinkPad.
From the dashboard, we could review search activity, videos watched in supported browsers, app usage, screen time, and location events. We could also remotely lock the phone and create schedules for school hours and bedtime
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The biggest limitation is that Norton Family does not monitor conversations, including text messages, direct messages, or chat inside social media apps. For parents whose top concern is detecting cyberbullying, grooming, or risky conversations, a more communication-focused tool like Bark may be a better fit.
When we tried to uninstall the app, we couldn’t remove it without first signing in with the parent account. That’s an important safeguard, although older teens may still find Norton Family less restrictive overall than more advanced monitoring apps.
Here are more details about our testing experience.
Norton prompted us to install the Norton Family app on the child device. It provided a QR code that sent us directly to the correct download page, which made setup quicker than with some competing apps.
After installation, we used an activation code to connect the child device to the parent dashboard. We then added a child profile, entered a name, and selected a restriction level before moving forward.
The preset restriction levels act as a starting point, and you can fine-tune them later in the dashboard. That makes Norton Family approachable for first-time parents while still allowing more customization.
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Once completed, the device was linked, and we could monitor it from our dashboard.
Norton Family sends alerts when a child tries to access content restricted by your selected filter. Depending on the rule you choose, the app either blocks the site outright or shows the child a warning first.
We tested this using the moderate restriction level, which Norton recommends for ages 12 to 14. When we visited adult sites, Norton blocked access and clearly flagged the content as inappropriate for that profile.
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We also searched for terms related to adult content, and those searches appeared in the dashboard quickly. That kind of visibility can help parents spot concerns early, even though Norton Family does not read private messages.
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Additionally, we could restrict phone access during school hours or remotely lock the device entirely. When we tested this on Android, Norton immediately closed Spotify and prevented us from opening other apps.
The app tracks time spent in individual apps, but it doesn’t let parents assign separate time limits for each one. Even so, we were impressed by how quickly alerts and activity updates appeared compared with some slower parental control apps we’ve tested.
We also tested location tracking by saving our home address as a favorite place and enabling alerts for arrivals and departures.
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After driving around the block, we received both an in-app alert and an email when the device left and returned to the saved location.
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If you’re looking to purchase Norton Family by itself, the current price of $4.17/mo is on par with a lot of other parental control apps.
| Features | Norton Family | Norton 360 Deluxe | Norton 360 with LifeLock Select |
| Price | $49.99/yr | $99.99/first yr | $199.99/first yr |
| Number of children | 15 | 5 | 10 |
| Content filtering | |||
| Screen time management | |||
| Location tracking | |||
| Norton Antivirus | |||
| Norton Secure VPN | |||
| Norton Password Manager | |||
| LifeLock | |||
| Details | View plan | View plan | View plan |
For comparison, Bark typically costs more but adds conversation monitoring, while Qustodio is priced similarly at the lower end and offers a different mix of monitoring and control tools.
If you’re looking to bundle Norton Family with other Norton products, you have two different options that can help you increase your overall security.
Norton Family also includes a 60-day money-back guarantee, which is longer than the standard 30-day guarantee many competitors offer. It also has a 30-day free trial, giving parents a relatively long window to test whether its lighter monitoring approach fits their needs.
Norton Family includes a solid set of tools for monitoring and managing a child’s device use. Parents can review website activity, browser-based video viewing, app activity, screen time, and location data from one dashboard.
Here’s how those features performed in our hands-on testing.
Web filtering is one of Norton Family’s strongest features. Depending on the restriction level you choose, it can either block a site completely or warn your child before they continue.
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Norton Family offers four restriction levels, each mapped to an age range so you can match the filtering to your child:
You pick a level when you add each child, and you can fine-tune the categories from your dashboard afterward. We tested with Moderate, which warns kids before they open restricted sites but lets them proceed, and it flagged an adult site the moment we tried to visit it.
In the dashboard, we could see which sites were accessed, whether a warning was shown, and whether the child proceeded anyway.
If you want more control, the Exceptions tab lets you manually allow or block specific sites without turning off broader protections. That’s helpful if a site is mistakenly restricted or if you want to tighten access beyond the default categories.
| App monitoring for iOS devices | App monitoring for Android devices | |
| App capabilities | Unavailable on iOS | Monitors time spent on apps and alerts you to which apps your child downloads |
Norton Family lets parents see which apps a child downloads and how much time they spend using them, though app supervision is stronger on Android than on iOS. This feature does not analyze what happens inside apps. Instead, it focuses on time spent, installation activity, and whether an app should be blocked entirely.
When we blocked the Asana app, the restriction took effect immediately. When we tried to open it, Norton Family blocked access and logged the event.
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One downside is that you can’t assign time caps to individual apps. Your choice is essentially to allow the app or block it completely.
Encourage your child to tell you or another adult if something distressing happens on social media. Also, remind your children that because of web crawlers, what they put on the internet can never truly be deleted.
Web Supervision is one of the most complete parts of Norton Family. It gives parents visibility into the websites a child visits and whether those sites triggered warnings or restrictions.
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Parents who want more insight into search behavior can review a word cloud of top search terms and open a detailed view showing searches performed across Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other supported search engines.
Norton Family let us set screen time limits that restricted device access during the hours we selected. Prebuilt school-time and bedtime schedules make setup easier, and you can edit them to fit your family’s routine.
In practice, this feature felt more broad than flexible. During downtime, most of the device’s functions are blocked rather than selectively limited.
For families using iPhones or iPads, Apple’s built-in parental controls may offer more granular options for choosing which apps and contacts stay available during downtime. Norton Family is simpler, but not as nuanced on iOS.
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Location Supervision requires separate permissions in addition to the main app setup. Without full location access, you may see only limited location data instead of continuous tracking.
Once enabled, Norton Family can provide near real-time location updates and send alerts when a child arrives at or leaves saved places.
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You can also review location history by date and time, which may be especially useful for parents with teens who are starting to travel more independently.
You can have peace of mind being able to see where your kids are during the day, especially if they do independent activities like ride the bus or get picked up in a carpool line.
Activity reports are straightforward and easy to understand. Each monitoring category includes a more detailed log so you can investigate alerts from the dashboard.
During testing, we tried visiting OnlyFans, a site often associated with adult content. Because our profile was set to a tween-friendly restriction level, Norton Family flagged the site with a warning.
The dashboard also recorded that we chose not to continue after seeing the warning, which adds useful context for parents reviewing activity later.
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As far as Google searches, we could see in the Search Terms section what words were searched.
Norton Family can also track some video activity, but the feature is limited. It only monitors Hulu streams and YouTube videos watched in a browser, not videos watched in their respective apps.
If parents want visibility into YouTube or Hulu viewing through Norton Family, they may need to disable the apps so the child uses a browser instead.
When the feature does work, Norton Family shows the video link and description, which makes it easier to judge the context of what your child watched.
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Norton Family is covered by Norton’s broader privacy policy, which describes extensive data collection tied to your devices, account activity, location data, service usage, and related account information. Parents who prioritize privacy should review those disclosures carefully before signing up.
Norton also says it may collect information related to family members connected to the account, along with some data from third parties.
Norton says it uses this information for common business and security purposes, including:
Norton says it uses SSL encryption to protect data in transit. While some security companies emphasize stronger or more detailed encryption claims, Norton still provides standard account protections such as encrypted connections and optional two-factor authentication.
That doesn’t automatically mean your data is unsafe, but parents who are especially privacy-conscious may want more technical detail and transparency about how sensitive family data is secured.
For extra account security, you can enable two-factor authentication (2FA). We recommend turning it on, especially since Norton Family can contain location data and detailed child activity logs. Two-factor authentication allows you to log in to your account by verifying your identity on a second device. It can definitely improve your security.
| Compatibility | |
| Windows | |
| macOS | |
| Android | |
| iOS | |
| Browser extensions |
If your household uses Windows PCs, Norton Family is a straightforward fit. Setup on supported devices was quick, and the app walked us through required permissions step by step.
On smartphones, Android users get somewhat stronger app monitoring than iPhone users, so your experience will vary depending on your child’s device.
Keep in mind that Norton Family doesn't support macOS or Chromebooks. Families that rely on Apple laptops or school-issued Chromebooks may need a different parental control solution.
| Support type | Norton Family |
| Email or live chat | Yes — 24/7 live chat support |
| Phone | Yes — you’ll need to fill out a form on the site for the number |
| Online guides or forums |
Like many cybersecurity products, Norton first routes users through self-service help articles, troubleshooting guides, and community resources. If you need direct help, you can click Contact us, though it may take a few extra steps before Norton shows the available support channels.
We’d recommend starting with 24/7 live chat, especially since Norton notes that phone support may involve long wait times.
Norton Family’s mobile app store ratings are fairly mixed. Recent iPhone reviews mention setup frustrations and difficulties getting some sites to be monitored rather than automatically blocked.
Google Play reviews are even more divided. Positive reviewers praise the concept and core protections, while negative reviewers often mention syncing issues and inconsistent location tracking.
On Trustpilot, the broader Norton brand scores much better, with many users praising its overall protection tools and ease of use. Still, those reviews reflect Norton as a company, not just the Norton Family product.
If Norton Family doesn’t cover everything your family needs, especially around conversation monitoring, one of these alternatives may be a better fit. Some offer social media, text, and email monitoring, while others focus more on screen-time controls or location features.
Depending on your needs and budget, one of these may be the best parental control software for your family.
| Service |  Qustodio |
 Aura Parental Controls |
 Bark |
| Best for | Best for location tracking | Best for teens | Best for social media monitoring |
| Star rating | |||
| Starting price | Free or $4.99/mo | $8.25/mo | $8.25/mo |
| Max # of people covered | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Screen time management | |||
| Content filtering | |||
| Conversation monitoring | |||
| Location tracking | |||
| Details | Get Qustodio | Get Aura | Get Bark |
Norton Family is a strong choice for parents who want a lightweight, easy-to-use parental control app focused on web filtering, search monitoring, screen-time scheduling, and location alerts. In our testing, those tools worked quickly and reliably. Its biggest gaps are the lack of app-specific screen-time limits and the absence of conversation monitoring across texts, social media, and email.
If you’re already considering other Norton products, bundling with Norton 360 Deluxe may provide better overall value, since it adds tools like antivirus, a password manager, and a VPN.
Curious how Norton Family compares to other top parental control apps on the market? Check out our in-depth comparisons:
Our team has conducted hands-on testing on 10+ parental control apps over several years using a consistent process. We install each app on multiple devices and create both parent and child accounts, evaluating the experience from both perspectives. We also deliberately attempt to bypass restrictions to ensure the apps actually work.
Then, we evaluate each product across eight areas:
We retest all parental control apps at least once a year. To learn more about how we test, read our full parental control testing methodology here.
Norton Family earned a 4.8 star rating because it combines easy setup, effective web filtering, helpful activity alerts, and competitive pricing. It stands out most for families who want visibility into online activity without the more invasive conversation monitoring found in some rival apps.
It lost points in our features category because it doesn’t monitor social media messages, text messages, or emails, and it also lacks app-specific screen-time limits.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 33% | 5.0 |
| Value | 5% | 5.0 |
| Features | 52% | 4.3 |
| Compatibility | 5% | 5.0 |
| Customer service | 5% | 5.0 |
With Norton Family, parents can review website activity, site categories, and the search terms their child uses on supported search engines.
Parents can also see downloaded apps, app usage time, device location, screen-time schedules, school-time rules, and some videos watched in supported browsers. However, Norton Family does not show text messages, email content, or social media conversations.
No, Norton Family doesn’t monitor text messages. You’ll be unable to see any text messages that come across the phone of a monitored child account within your Norton Family portal.
For the price, we think Norton Family is worth considering for parents who mainly want help with web filtering, search visibility, scheduling, and location tracking. It can provide peace of mind without crossing into more invasive message monitoring.
Seeing the search terms a child uses and the sites they try to visit can help parents start useful conversations about safety, curiosity, and responsible internet use before kids learn from unreliable or inappropriate sources online.
Parental controls app that filters content across 45+ categories including bullying, sexual content, hate speech, and drug-related sites
Instant Lock lets you freeze your child's entire device remotely, with no way to uninstall the app without your login
Covers up to 15 children and comes included with several Norton 360 plans at no extra cost
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