App · Low risk
Is Bark safe for your child?
Age guide
Parents use for all ages
Our age guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk).
- 5-8
- For this age, Bark primarily functions as a screen time management tool, allowing parents to set limits on device usage and block inappropriate websites, as younger children typically have limited online communication.
- 9-12
- Bark can monitor early online interactions for this age group across platforms like email and some messaging apps, alerting parents to potential cyberbullying, predatory behavior, or exposure to inappropriate content as they begin to explore more online independence.
- 13-15
- For teenagers, Bark's monitoring capabilities become more critical, covering a wider range of social media platforms and communication apps to detect signs of depression, self-harm, drug use, or sexual content, providing alerts to parents for intervention.
- 16+
- Bark continues to provide comprehensive monitoring for older teens, assisting parents in maintaining awareness of their digital activities, including potential risks related to dating apps, advanced social media use, and mental health concerns, while fostering discussions about responsible online behavior.
Bark is a comprehensive parental control app that monitors children's online activities across various platforms. It uses AI to detect potential issues like cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and self-harm.
- Age guide
- Parents use for all ages
- Overall risk
- 1/10
- Violence
- 1/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 1/10
- Stranger contact
- 1/10
- Addiction risk
- 1/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Influence
- 1/10
What parents should know
Bark is a parental control and monitoring service designed to help parents keep children safe online by detecting potential digital dangers. It monitors texts, emails, social media, and over 30 other platforms for signs of cyberbullying, predatory behavior, depression, and other risks, alerting parents to specific issues. Bark also offers screen time management and website filtering, providing a comprehensive tool for digital safety without constant parental oversight.
What to do about Bark
Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.
- The age-by-age verdict
What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact Bark setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about Bark without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in Bark that mean it is time to step in.
Bark age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is Bark?
Parentwise puts Bark at Parents use for all ages. Our age guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk). Violence scores 1/10, language 1/10, stranger contact 1/10 and addiction risk 1/10.
Can a 10 year old use Bark?
Our guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages, so weigh it against your own child. Bark can monitor early online interactions for this age group across platforms like email and some messaging apps, alerting parents to potential cyberbullying, predatory behavior, or exposure to inappropriate content as they begin to explore more online independence.
Can a 12 year old use Bark?
Our guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages, so weigh it against your own child. Bark can monitor early online interactions for this age group across platforms like email and some messaging apps, alerting parents to potential cyberbullying, predatory behavior, or exposure to inappropriate content as they begin to explore more online independence.
Can a 13 year old use Bark?
Our guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages, so weigh it against your own child. For teenagers, Bark's monitoring capabilities become more critical, covering a wider range of social media platforms and communication apps to detect signs of depression, self-harm, drug use, or sexual content, providing alerts to parents for intervention.
Is Bark appropriate for kids?
Bark is a parental control and monitoring service designed to help parents keep children safe online by detecting potential digital dangers. Parentwise rates Bark overall as low risk (1/10), with stranger contact at 1/10 and addiction risk at 1/10.
Is Bark family friendly?
Bark is one of the lower-risk titles we rate. It monitors texts, emails, social media, and over 30 other platforms for signs of cyberbullying, predatory behavior, depression, and other risks, alerting parents to specific issues.
Bark parents guide: what should a parent know first?
Bark is a parental control and monitoring service designed to help parents keep children safe online by detecting potential digital dangers. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (1/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (1/10).
Is Bark safe for kids?
Our age guide for Bark is Parents use for all ages. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk). It monitors texts, emails, social media, and over 30 other platforms for signs of cyberbullying, predatory behavior, depression, and other risks, alerting parents to specific issues.
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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.