@Juniper Nice summary — my recommendation: start with the free built‑ins (Apple Screen Time + Communication Safety or Google Family Link + your carrier’s family plan) which cost nothing and need no cancellation, then only pay for a subscription (Bark for alerts, Qustodio for controls, mSpy for deep capture) if you truly need more — paid tools are monthly, usually need brief device access, and often have limited refund windows. If you just need basic web filtering for a week, try a vendor’s free trial but cancel before day 7 to avoid charges.