Photo courtesy of Bark

The opinions expressed by Digital Journal staff are their own.

Whether you have an only child or a large family of three, four, or five, some things are simply unavoidable when raising children. Things like infants crying in public, toddlers being unusually fussy, and kids outgrowing the clothes you bought last week are everyday occurrences experienced by parents worldwide. However, the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital devices has slowly created a new norm in parenting. Today, digital devices are everywhere. Whether at school, at home, or in public, at some point your child will either own or come into contact with a mobile phone or other digital device.

Since this is inevitable, it’s important to make sure your kids are properly prepared and know how to use technology safely. Cell phone manufacturers have taken these first steps by adding some parental controls to their phones as standard, but what if there were better options? What if there was a phone for kids that let kids explore the world without parents controlling them? The Bark Phone is a phone for kids that’s packed with smart features that make being a parent easy without excessive restrictions. Let’s take a closer look at some of the Bark Phone’s advanced features that parents love.

Why a single-purpose phone is necessary for children

Because phone manufacturers offer standard parental controls, some parents believe that a special phone for children is unnecessary. After all, why pay for a service if the phone comes with parental controls? While these are good arguments, these complainers forget to consider the time and energy that goes into these standard controls.

Many new phones have parental controls that allow for blocking apps and features of the phone, as well as other far-reaching controls that limit much of what makes a smartphone a smartphone. The unintended consequence of these far-reaching parental controls is that your child may not feel trusted or have enough freedom to explore the world around them and gain the confidence needed to fully express themselves in the real world. Furthermore, for some more tech-savvy children, these tools may be avoidable through a third-party app, proxy website, or other methods.

These are the reasons why the Bark Phone exists, and advanced and robust apps like Bark are taking households by storm. Unlike the manufacturer’s default settings, Bark offers monitoring across multiple platforms, including texting, email, and social media. Childhood bullying is a problem that has plagued generations, and this phone for kids addresses those issues by using AI-powered learning to detect cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and other signs of mental health issues. These monitoring levels are far more advanced than the manufacturer’s default settings, which is why Bark is chosen by parents across the U.S.

The Bark Phone: A phone full of features

With so many advanced controls, what can parents expect from Bark? This great phone for kids offers communication monitoring, precise location tracking, proactive website blocking, and screen time management.

• Monitoring communication: Knowing what is being said on your child’s phone is a double-edged sword. Allowing children to communicate freely with their friends and peers is important to building trust in your household. The Bark Phone takes on both a passive and active role in ensuring safety. Bark has a constantly updated library of trigger words and topics that alerts parents and guardians when children reach topics that require notification or intervention. This helpful feature means the Bark Phone can grow with your children as they get older.

• Manage screen time: Controlling screen time is the most common form of parental control and is extremely useful for keeping an eye on children’s overall well-being. The new slang that kids are using is “brain rot,” which refers to the over-consumption of meaningless content. The Bark Phone allows parents to set screen time limits, ensuring that children have a healthy balance of online and offline activities. The Bark Phone also has additional features like schedules and routines to save time away from screens and encourage better habits without the device.

• Location tracking: This is a common feature among standard manufacturers, but Bark takes it a step further. The Bark Phone lets kids explore the world while parents can track things like vehicle speed when their child is driving themselves or being driven by peers. The Bark Phone has real-time location tracking and geofencing capabilities so parents can be notified when kids enter or leave certain areas.

Get the Bark Phone for your family

Modern parenting doesn’t have to be difficult; with the right parenting tools, it’s easy to manage. With so many variables to consider when it comes to internet and social media safety, it’s clear that tools like the Bark Phone are essential for every household. For more information on internet safety and parental controls, visit Bark for the latest information on parenting in the digital age. Contact Bark and get the Bark Phone for Kids for your children today.