Norton Family is parental control software for supervising children’s online activity and device use on Windows, Android and iOS. Parents can set browsing rules, schedule access, review activity and locate supported mobile devices through a web portal or a parent app. The rules belong to individual child profiles, so children in the same household can have different restrictions.
A profile starts with an age-based restriction level that parents can adjust. Norton Family supports up to fifteen child profiles, with devices assigned to the children who use them. Parents can manage the account from a Mac browser, although a child’s Mac cannot be supervised. The service is sold as a subscription and is also included with Norton 360 Deluxe and Norton 360 Premium.
How Norton Family supervises browsing
Web supervision combines content categories with exceptions for individual website addresses. Parents can block a category, allow it, or add a specific site to the allowed or restricted list. A website exception makes it possible to permit a particular resource without opening access to its entire category.
The supervision setting determines how Norton Family responds to browsing. Block prevents access to restricted content. Warn allows access with a warning and notifies the parent, while Allow keeps websites accessible and retains activity in reports. Parents can review these records in the portal or receive activity reports by email.
Windows web supervision uses the Norton Family browser extension for full functionality. On iOS, its VPN component extends web monitoring and blocking to activity outside the Norton Family browser.
Screen time
Time supervision separates permitted hours from the amount of time a child can spend using a device. Parents can mark allowed and blocked periods for each day, then set a daily allowance on Windows and Android. A child can use that allowance within the permitted periods; opening a longer access window does not increase the daily allowance.
The allowance applies separately to each device, rather than forming a shared total across all of a child’s devices. Rules can be grouped for devices of the same type or adjusted individually. Windows also offers a monitoring setting that tells the child when a time rule is being broken without blocking use.
On iOS, parents can schedule access periods, but the daily time allowance and usage-time calculation are unavailable. Norton Family also includes an instant lock control for taking a break outside the regular schedule.
School Time
School Time gives schoolwork its own website rules. Parents choose educational sites that remain accessible during the school day and maintain a block list for distracting sites.
Search and video supervision
Norton Family records the words and phrases children enter into supported search services, including Google, Bing, Yahoo and YouTube. Parents can review the queries and enable search filters to reduce adult content in results. Search supervision requires a supported browser extension on Windows and the in-app Norton Browser on Android and iOS.
Video supervision produces a separate record of videos watched on YouTube’s website, with snippets parents can review. It also covers Hulu’s website on Windows. This coverage does not include the YouTube or Hulu apps, or YouTube videos embedded in other websites.
App controls
App supervision lists downloaded applications on Android and supported Windows devices, with controls to allow or block individual apps. The Android parent app can search the application list and display blocked apps separately, so parents can change an existing restriction without finding it among every installed app.
App usage-time reporting is available on supported Android devices. Windows app supervision does not cover Microsoft Store or UWP apps, or applications that run as services. App supervision is unavailable on a child’s iPhone or iPad.
Device location
Location supervision shows the approximate position of an Android or iOS device on a map and retains a location history for thirty days. It uses GPS, mobile networks and internet connections to establish the device’s position. The child needs to be carrying the device, with the device switched on and location supervision enabled, for that position to be useful.
Parents can define Favorite Locations and receive alerts when the device enters or leaves those boundaries. Alert Me requests location notifications at a chosen date and time, while Check In lets the child send the device’s current location from the mobile app. These location functions are available only in supported countries.
