If you are looking for a product to easily manage your kids access to apps and screen-time, then OurPact might be a good option for your family. While it does allow parents to control access to the internet, parents need to know that it does NOT do any internet content filtering. Parents can completely disable access to the internet and to certain apps, but it will not do anything to limit content displayed in an internet browser like Safari, Google etc.
Like other similar products, Our Pact gives parents significant control over when and what their children can do on their iOS or Android device. Parents can determine which apps will be allowed at a particular time. Educational apps can be allowed while other apps are disallowed when a child is working on homework. Bedtime and dinner time enforcement, as well as any other features, can be easily controlled from the parent app. Additionally, parents can set the amount of screen time allowed per day to help kids develop responsible technology habits. Location information for family members and devices can be accessed through the parent app as well.
Even though OurPact doesn’t come with content filtering, it does come with a reasonable price tag. There is a free version but it is so limited that it is hardly worth mentioning. Their next level plan manages up to 10 devices with limited features for $1.99 per month. And, the full-feature version will let parents manage up to 20 devices for $4.99 per month. OurPact would work best for younger children and tweens because they don’t need to have access to an internet browser or apps that could expose them to dangerous content. As always, I recommend that parents use a trial version of any product to make sure it will work for their family’s devices. They do not appear to have a trial version, but it is billed monthly so it can easily be cancelled if it isn’t a fit.
I would recommend coupling OurPact with a properly filtered home router to give added protection to devices that don’t have a data plan when they are in the home. A filtered router doesn’t take care of every situation but it is the first-line of defense and often has the added benefit minimizing exposure to malware and phishing scams.
