Every parent yearns to protect his or her children from danger. The problem is, children no longer have to leave the house to find themselves in dangerous situations. The rise of technology, and especially the convenience and ease of tablets and Smartphones, have made parental protection a moving target.

As a parent, you have a responsibility to protect your children from inappropriate or violent games or websites, Internet predators, and cyberbullying. But where to even start?

Fortunately, there are some great parental control and phone monitoring apps to make this overwhelming task much simpler.

Net Nanny. This amazing app puts all the control in your corner. It features a filter which can be set to block specific websites or even whole categories of content which you determine. You can also block specific phone numbers and receive alerts about keyword searches.

Norton Family. This Web-filtering service allows you to set up specific rules about kids’ online activities and alerts you when a rule is broken. It logs social media conversations, too. In addition to the web, this service also works on Android devices.

Qustodio provides thorough and detailed information on all your child’s online activities including chats, new contacts, and photo sharing. It even comes with a panic button for children/teens to press when they’re in trouble to alert you.

PhoneSheriff allows you to create your own system of alerts regarding activities and contacts. The app tracks the amount of time that your teen spends engaged in various activities or in talking to certain people. As a bonus, you have the support of an impressive customer service team.

Mobicip. If you are only concerned with blocking explicit websites, the free version of Mobicip is all you need. The premium version gives you extensive parental control on multiple devices. New apps are blocked automatically.

Kids Place is ideal for younger children who like to play with their parents’ tablet or Smartphone. It restricts children to pre-approved apps on parental devices, keeping them safe as well as your data, freeing children to enjoy playing with technology safely.

Mobile Spy gets full marks for user-friendliness, making it ideal for the non-tech-savvy parent. It even tracks deleted texts and incognito browsing.

Screen Time works well for younger children who need time limits on certain apps. Program everything except reading apps to shut down by a certain time, or even shut the entire device down immediately from your own phone.

When raising children, technology can be both a blessing and a curse. But while it offers threats, it also provides the solution for protection from them.