13 Parental Control Statistics: A Worldwide View

The demand for parental control apps will continue to increase as children's need for the internet and smart gadgets, particularly for online learning, grows.

The most common forms of parental control are establishing rules (79%), using secure search engine website settings (46%), adding parental controls to the child's online devices (46%), and using the history feature to see websites that the child accesses (42%).

Continue reading below to discover parental control data statistics one by one.

Statistics on Parental Control Apps 2023   

In a recent Absolute Markets Insights study, the global parental control app market was valued at $985.12 million. Its value is expected to increase by 12.34% over the next few years.

Various elements fuel the market expansion for parental control software. However, the increasing usage of social media platforms is the most prominent contributor to this rapid growth. 

This part of the article discusses the industry, market size, parental control app trends and statistics, and how the data has changed over the years.

Parental Control App Industry Statistics

According to a survey by Norton LifeLock Study, 7 out of 10 children have increased their screen time since the pandemic. Most parents have trouble planning activities to keep their kids amused and safe during the lockdowns.

With kids' increasing unsupervised screen time, parents became worried about the rising number of cyber security issues and dangers. 

The common dangers of the Internet for kids include the following:

• Violence
• Phishing
• Fake news
• Pornography
• Identity theft
• Cyberbullying
• Sexual predators
• Inappropriate content

In this section, you'll learn more about the parental control app industry statistics and how the data has changed over the past years.

1. Research shows that the market for parental control software is anticipated to reach US $6,230.58 million by 2029.

(Bloomberg)

According to further statistics, 61% of tweens consume their screen time watching videos. That defies most parents’ primary reason for granting the device for communication.

That’s when parent control software comes into the equation. In 2021, Google disclosed options for its free Family Link app, allowing parents an affordable parental control tool. 

This development helps parents reduce screen time for their children for free. It can also aid in lessening conflict between child and parent, as smartphone dependence usually triggers disputes between them. 

On the other hand, in August 2021, Norton LifeLock collaborated with Avast. This alliance benefited both businesses by expanding their market in terms of sales and drawing in more customers. 

The newly established company now provides security and privacy services to billion internet users worldwide, especially for children on the internet.

2. Surveys revealed that 13% of parents believe parental control limits internet usage, while 11% say it doesn't enforce such restrictions.

(internetmatters.org)

66% of young people believe that parental controls are employed to prevent them from being contacted by strangers. 

Meanwhile, 19% of parents surveyed don't set parental controls because they think they're too restrictive. Whether or not parents employ digital tools in their parental controls, their primary goal is to ensure their kids' safety online.

3. The parental control software market will grow by $2.48 billion by 2030.

(Data Intelo)

Despite the market’s growth, some parents still hesitate to use parental control software. In fact, 1 in every 6 parents of elementary and middle schoolers who use social media do not use parental controls. Instead, they periodically check their kid's social media accounts. 

Meanwhile, 2 in every 5 parents feel it is too time-demanding to monitor their child’s apps at all. 

4. 21% of parents say they could not find the needed information to set up the parental control apps.

(Michigan Medicine)

Many parents report difficulties monitoring their children's social media use, with 1 in 5 saying they needed help finding the information to set up parental controls. 

39% of parents with children between 12 and 18 say using the app takes up much of their time. 32% say their children find ways to get around parental controls, which is somewhat useless.

Due to this, parents prefer to check their kids' devices manually. Doing so will only consume a little of their time instead of learning the basics of the unfamiliar app.

Parental Control App Market Size Statistics

63% of surveyed parents are concerned about the threat of too much internet usage. Among those parents, more than half are worried about their kids becoming the target of internet predators, which can target kids’ social media accounts and kidnap them. 

The market for parental control apps has grown steadily over the years. That’s due to parents' increasing desire to monitor their kids' screen time and the demand for more kid-friendly apps and features.

In this section, we enumerated essential statistics about its market size that could be helpful for parents to change their viewpoint about parental control software.

5. Over 90% of parents who use parental control apps find the tool helpful. 

(Safes)

Apps for parental control can be beneficial if applied correctly. It can gradually teach your child how to defend themselves from online threats as they age while decreasing your worries about your kid's safety.

Meanwhile, a recent U.S. survey shows that 80% of parents supervise their children's usage of digital gadgets, both physically and digitally.

6. 72% of parent-respondents use parental controls to limit their children’s screen usage.

(Pew Research Center)

Over 70% of parents of kids between 5 and 11 use technology to limit their child's screen time. 75% of these parents say they monitor the websites or mobile apps their kids access. While 80% say, they deprive them of access to the internet as part of their punishment.

Although parental control software is one of the most effective ways to monitor children's online activities, not all parents are attracted to the mentioned benefits. 86% restrict their child's gadget usage without parental control apps.

7. Nearly 50% of parents monitor their children's text and call history through parental control apps.

(Pew Research Center)

49% of parents of children ages 5 and 11 say they review the call or text history on their children's mobile phones. 

Meanwhile, 28% of parents monitor their children's social media accounts. Then, 33% track their whereabouts through GPS apps.

8. 28% of parents employ parental control features on their children's gaming devices to monitor and regulate expenditure.

(ISFE)

43% of parents who don't use parental controls claimed that the tools were unnecessary because they already had some agreement with their children, and 17% thought they were challenging.

About 17% of respondents were unaware it could limit in-game purchases, and 32% were aware of them but still needed to set them up. 

Parents worldwide have mixed views regarding the use of parental control apps. Regardless, it’s not much of a heated debate since parents understand it’s a case-to-case basis. Take it from this open discussion:

In the end, even though some parents find it quite challenging, their top priority is still their kids' safety.

9. 5% of parents say they use parental control app that notifies them of their children’s activities.

(VentureBeat)

63% of parents claim they check their children's social media friends to ensure they talk to real or known people. 54% of parents occasionally access their child's social media accounts to check on them.

While 50% of parents are sure that despite monitoring their kids, there are things that remain unseen. Only 5% of parents set up notifications to alert them of their kids' online activities. 

Moreover, despite using a parental control app, some parents occasionally manually check their kids' online activities.

This data shows that, although parents trust some protection software, no one can beat the physical protection they can provide.

Parental Control App Trends Statistics

When teens are surveyed about having parental control software, 51% of teens using parental controls say they are happier with the protection it provides, compared to 42% of teens without parental controls who are satisfied but content.

Although both are happy, more teens with parental control installed are happier and more comfortable knowing they are safer and protected. Let's take a look at trends in parental control app statistics below.

10. Study shows that over 50% of parents monitor their children's use of electronic devices.

(Telefonica)

Research from 2020 revealed that 54% of parents of kids under 15 were watching their kids' electronic or smartphone usage. Parents believed the monitoring app was crucial for young people below this age.

Here are a few alternatives to traditional parental controls that some parents utilize:

• GPS Trackers
• Google SafeSearch
• Mobile monitoring apps

11. Parental control apps pre-installed on kids' devices are preferred by 31% of parents.

(Ofcom)

In comparison to 82% of parents in Scotland and 81% of parents in Wales, 72% of parents in Northern Ireland expressed less confidence in their abilities to protect their children online. 

Despite being aware, only 70% of these parents had employed any safety-promoting technological tools, such as parental controls. The remaining percentage of parents believe that pre-installed parental control apps can aid in keeping their kids safe online.

12. North America's parental Control Software Market is expected to reach $2,693.33 million in 2029.

(Data Bridge)

As cell phones become more popular among children, so will the use of parental control apps and software. This would be a critical factor in the growth of the North American parental control software market because it is necessary to protect children. 

Conclusion

Proper parenting can be twice as hard in the digital world, especially if you are not a techie-type parent. Parental controls, however, are a bright spot for families with digital children today. 

89% of parents think parental controls are valuable for regulating kids' online safety and experiences. Parental control software might help you watch over your children when you cannot personally monitor them.