Annoyingly, all the configuration rules pop out in windows, instead of bringing you to a full-screen page. The interface itself is visually overwhelming with cramped elements and there's no clear guidance or flow for setting up initial rules. Net Nanny's Parent Dashboard is where you manage parental control settings, but it is surprisingly difficult to find on Net Nanny's home page. If your child removes or otherwise disables the monitoring app, parents will get a notification. On iOS, you can use the built-in settings to prevent your child from uninstalling the app. On Windows, macOS, Android, and Kindle devices, this option prevents your kid from uninstalling the app without entering the account password. Note that Net Nanny includes an Uninstall Protection option you can enable from the parental dashboard. Then, enable push notifications, location permissions, and follow the steps to install the MDM profile.

To install the child app on an iPhone or iPad, download the Net Nanny Child app from the App Store and log in to your account. Qustodio and Kaspersky Safe Kids do not support this feature. Net Nanny does support a multi-user setup though, so a parent can maintain an unrestricted account for themselves while monitoring their child's account on the same device. In other words, a parent would need to sign in and then manually switch to the child profile after each restart. If you are considering installing Net Nanny on a non-admin profile, consider that you can't configure an Android device to boot into that specific profile. Net Nanny also tells you to manually enable SafeSearch in the Google App, but this is not an optimal implementation since that setting is not locked behind any passcode. Then, you need to tap through and give Net Nanny all the permissions it requests, including app usage, location, device admin, and content tracking using VPN permissions (this is not a true VPN that encrypts traffic), as well as approve a certificate install. To monitor an Android device, download the Net Nanny Child App on your child's phone, sign in to your account, and select the appropriate child profile. Right-clicking on the icon gives you the option to view basic stats on screen time, manually sync with the Net Nanny servers, or launch the parent's dashboard on the web. The app lives as an icon in the notification tray area. Next, you need to follow the prompts for assigning each user account to a child profile. Just download the installer, launch the app, and sign in. I tested Net Nanny on a Lenovo IdeaPad 320 running Windows 10, a Google Pixel running Android 10, and an iPhone XR running iOS 13. The next step is to download the monitoring app on every device that you intend to track. To get started with Net Nanny, you first need to sign up for an account, a process that requires an email address and payment information. Mobicip goes one step further by offering Chromebook support, but Norton Family Premier notably cannot manage macOS computers. Qustodio and Kaspersky Safe Kids match its platform support. You can also make changes to configurations via Net Nanny's web interface. One is used to install a monitoring profile on your kid's device and the other is for parents to make changes to restrictions and monitor activities. Note that Net Nanny offers two apps on mobile platforms.

Net Nanny is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Fire OS (Kindle) devices, which is standard for the category. The Circle Home device costs $129 on its own and you need to pay $10 per month thereafter to maintain all its monitoring capabilities. If you are looking for a hardware-based solution for managing all the devices on your home network, Circle Home Plus is one option, albeit a pricey one. Norton Family Premier ($49.99 per year) and Kaspersky Safe Kids ($14.99 per year) offer the best value, since they can monitor an unlimited number of devices. Boomerang is cheaper at $30.99 per year for 10 devices. For comparison, Qustodio costs $54.99 for a five-device plan, the same as Net Nanny, and Mobicip costs $49.99.

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