Saturday, June 25th
2022 Internet Filter Reviews
Norton Family
- "A+" Better Business Bureau rating
- Works with iOS, Windows, Android, and Mac
- 60-day money-back guarantee
Norton offers 13 different products to help with device security, identity protection, online privacy, dark web monitoring, malware protection, virus protection, parental controls, and more. Their goal is to make it so people can worry less about the dark side of cyber crime and feel safe in their digital life. Norton Family is the product that focuses specifically on helping parents foster a healthy balance for children on their smart devices while teaching safe and smart online habits.
Brief description of features
There are so many products offered by Norton that they don't deep dive into any of them as much as we'd like. They list the features included with their internet filtering system and a brief explanation of each one, such as:
- Web supervision (block unsuitable websites)
- Time supervision (set internet schedules)
- Search supervision (see phrases, words, and topics kids are searching)
- Parent mobile app (monitor everything from your iOS or Android device)
- Access request (kids can send a note if they disagree about a blocked website)
- Video supervision (See a list of watched YouTube videos)
- Mobile app supervision (See which apps are downloaded)
- Instant lock (parents can lock devices if kids need focus or family time)
- Email alerts (find out if your kid tries to visit a blocked site)
- Location supervision (find out where kids are and see a 30-day history of where they've been)
- School time (pause the internet while kids are in a learning environment)
- Favorite locations (establish approved boundaries for a child's physical location)
Introductory pricing
Some of Norton's products come with a free trial, but unfortunately Norton Family is not one of them. The cost for the system is $49.99/year, but the catch is that this is just an introductory price. The fine print says that after your term is up, you'll be billed with renewal pricing, which is not listed on the website. However, from the look of renewal pricing for other services, you can easily pay a couple hundred dollars for a product here. This is much more expensive than what we've seen elsewhere. If you purchase Norton 360 Deluxe or Norton 360 with LifeLock, Norton Family is already included.
Money-back guarantee
Norton doesn't make it easy to find their refund or cancellation policy, but after some digging we found that they have a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you purchase an annual plan through them, you can cancel within the first two months if you uninstall and delete all copies of the software from the device. You can submit a request via live chat through Norton's website to initiate a refund.
Not Norton's specialty
With Norton having such a wide variety of systems to protect computers, it doesn't seem like they specialize in parental controls like some other companies do. We wish they offered more details as well as pictures of their platform for parents who are trying hard to find the right system for their family. Parents would agree that Norton needs to put more effort and work into their app since overall their ratings are quite low. Reports of how easy it is to uninstall the app, messing up existing apps on phones, using up a lot of cellular data, and other issues are concerning. There are some parents who say that it does as they expect and they can use the features as they hoped, but this is the minority of customers.
Not impressed
Although Norton has an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, we'd like to see more work put into their parental control app. A more detailed explanation of features and a free trial would be a good starting place. We are also unimpressed with their customer reviews, so we don't see why Norton Family should earn a high rating compared to more comprehensive internet filters.
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The 12 Best Internet Filters
What is the Best Internet Filter?
More than ever, parents are looking for a reliable internet filter to protect their children from pornography and other explicit content that is readily available online. Harmful content can be found through nearly any platform or gaming site and whether an internet user is looking for it or not, offensive images and information are constantly being programmed to make their way into the safety of your home.
Understanding some statistics about the pornography industry will send nearly any sane person into shock. The industry is grossly manipulative and exists to harm individuals at every age and stage of life through their physical and verbal portrayals of relationships. They often show drug use and illegal activity related to minors.
Internet Filter FAQ
Continued from above...
Over $3,075 is spent on porn every second on the internet - and nearly 35% of all downloads are related to pornography. 34% or more (we would gamble that this statistic is much lower than reality) of people say they have been exposed to unwanted content through ads, misdirected links, popups, and emails. It is especially dangerous for children who are learning to use the internet, as they trust innocent-looking games and chat rooms online, then quickly become addicted to explicit content.
Thousands of new porn sites are created every week and the amount of easily-accessible, inappropriate content is staggering. To protect families, it requires a combination of strict rules and expectations for internet use as well as top-rated internet blockers to filter out content. Thankfully, there are quite a few companies working hard to develop systems to combat the harmful effects of the pornography industry and other individuals who seek to hurt members of your family.
Since there are many companies that offer internet filtering services, we have provided important information for you to consider when shopping around:
- Features: How specific can you get with the content you want blocked? Are you only able to block certain websites or are you able to limit file-sharing services, chatrooms, gaming sites, and more? Are they child-proof in that you'll be able to stay in control of the settings you choose?
- Customer support: If you need help setting up the internet blocker, do they have assistance readily available for you? Make sure their team is committed to helping you use their product to its fullest and cover all your bases with your filters.
- Cost: Your family is worth every penny you'll spend on an internet blocker, but be sure to do your homework by comparing the cost of one service to another. Are you locked into contracts for months or even years? Do you have to pay extra if you need help with questions about the service?
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best internet filter services today. We hope this information helps you find a solution you're confident with to protect you and your family.
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