In today’s digital era, kids are immersed in technology with the Internet as a major influence. While it offers valuable learning and entertainment, it also poses risks. We as educators and parents watch over students during lessons, but unsupervised surfing can expose them to inappropriate content.

This raises parental concerns, prompting the need for tools to monitor and regulate online activity at home and in school. Fortunately, various antivirus and parental control programs exist to safeguard children from harmful content and online threats. In this article, we’ll chosen the best 3 antivirus software for ensuring your child’s online safety.

Norton

Norton enjoys a reputable standing in the antivirus industry, renowned for its resilient security solutions. The company provides two distinct options: (1) Norton 360 Deluxe (with complimentary access to Norton Family) and (2) Norton Family.

Norton 360 Deluxe is primarily designed to provide comprehensive device security, safeguarding devices against viruses, malware and cyber threats. Some of its features include: smart firewall, secure VPN, dark web monitoring, SafeCam for PC, etc. It prioritises securing your digital world.

Additionally, Norton 360 Deluxe includes a complimentary subscription to Norton Family, a powerful parental control application, making it one of the top antivirus choices for concerned parents. The various features of Norton Family include:

• School Time Feature: Regulate online distractions by allowing you to specify which sites are permitted and which are blocked during school hours.

• Location Supervision: Stay informed about your child’s location (for Android and iOS devices), with access to a 30-day history of their locations. Establish approved boundaries and receive alerts when your child goes beyond them.

• Time Supervision: Help your children establish healthy usage habits by setting limits around their device usage. You can see when your children are online, set time limits, and schedule usage times.

• Parental Supervision: Supervise web use and stay informed about the apps your child downloads.

Notably, the School Time scheduling feature allows you to restrict certain websites (such as YouTube and Roblox) during scheduled school hours without affecting educational access. This is ideal for home-based learning (such as our online Coding Lab classes)!

Pricing:

When considering the best option for your family’s online safety, Norton 360 Deluxe emerges as a robust choice. It not only provides comprehensive protection for your devices and data against online threats but also includes complimentary access to Norton Family for parental controls. As of September 2023, the subscription price stands at SGD 69 for the first year.

On the other hand, if you are seeking a more budget-friendly solution exclusively for monitoring your children’s online activities, Norton Family also offers a standalone subscription at SGD 30 per year. It’s a suitable choice for parents looking for reliable, standalone parental control solutions, although it does not include antivirus protection.

McAfee

McAfee is another well-known name in the cybersecurity industry, and its Total Protection package includes robust parental control features. Here’s what you can expect from McAfee Total Protection: identity protection, home network security, safe web browsing, performance optimisation, etc.

Additionally, McAfee Total Protection includes a complimentary subscription to a standalone parental control app called McAfee Safe Family, providing parents with a focused tool to monitor and manage their child’s online activities. It is important to note that this complimentary subscription only comes with the McAfee Total Protection family package, and not the individual package. The various features of the parental control application, McAfee Safe Family, include:

• Comprehensive Activity Tracking: Allows for monitoring application and website usage.

• Customizable Limits: McAfee Family offers pre-defined age-based rules that parents can customise according to their children’s specific needs.

• Location Tracking: Locate their children on a live map. Receive automated notifications when their kids enter or leave familiar places, such as school.

• Family Request Feature: To accommodate exceptions, McAfee Family allows kids to request extra app time or access to blocked apps or websites, promoting collaboration and communication within the family. [Note: Unfortunately, this feature does not work for IOS devices.]

Pricing:

McAfee Total Protection is available at a price of SGD 89.95 for the first year. This comprehensive security suite offers complimentary access to parental control solutions as well, when buying the family package. On the other hand, the standalone version, McAfee Safe Family, is more budget-friendly and priced at approximately SGD 58 per year.

Trend Micro

TrendMicro is an option you can consider if the above-mentioned two softwares are not for you. With various paid options and free trials, along with a multitude of features, this is another suitable choice! The various features of Trend Micro (across their different plans) include:

• Antivirus, malware, ransomware, and spyware Protection: All-rounded protection to help us stay secure

• Keep children safe online: An important tool for us with families, especially since we cannot monitor our children 24/7

• Protects and manages passwords: As we have various accounts online, it is vital to protect our passwords, especially since we tend to save our details on the device for convenience!

• Secures PC, Mac, and mobile devices: With one plan, you can get protection for all your devices

Pricing:

Trend Micro has various paid options, starting from $49 per year for 2 devices to get the basic protection. If you want to get a taste of Trend Micro before committing, they also have various free tools, apps, and trials for you to try out!

As we navigate the digital world with our children, their online safety should be a top priority. The leading antivirus software options for 2023 provide a range of features for safeguarding and monitoring your child’s digital activities.

In the ever-changing digital landscape, these solutions offer peace of mind and a safer online environment for your children. Select the one that suits your family’s needs and priorities to ensure a secure and enriching online experience. Nevertheless, it’s vital to educate children about online safety practices to empower them to navigate the digital world independently in the future.

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Written by Rohini, Thinzar