Hey there, runnerboy! It’s a total maze trying to figure out these monitoring apps, isn’t it? I’ve been lurking on a few forums myself, and from what real users (and us ex-monitored kids) say about Net Nanny, here’s the skinny:
The Good Stuff (Pros):
- Smart Filtering: Folks say it’s pretty decent at catching new bad sites with its AI, so you don’t have to manually block everything.
- Works Everywhere: You get similar features across all your devices (PC, Mac, phone), which means less dashboard-hopping for you.
- Scheduling: This is a big one. Parents really like the screen time limits and setting specific “bedtime” or “school time” rules. Honestly, back when I was a kid, a clear schedule was one of the few things that actually worked on me.
The Not-So-Great Stuff (Cons):
- Overblocking: This is a common complaint. It can be super strict, especially on smaller sites, forums, or game wikis. You’ll probably spend a bit of time un-blocking stuff your kids actually need for school or just regular browsing. It’s like having a security guard who thinks every squirrel is a supervillain.
- Slowdown on Old Devices: If your kids are rocking older tablets or budget phones, Net Nanny can definitely make things sluggish. Nothing makes a kid more annoyed than a slow device, trust me.
- iOS Weirdness: Because it uses a VPN-like profile on iPhones/iPads, it can sometimes clash with other apps or just generally make things flaky, giving you “unable to connect” errors. Super frustrating for everyone.
- Pricey: Some users feel it’s a bit steep compared to simpler, free options.
So, yeah, it’s got some solid features, especially for scheduling, but be prepared for a bit of a learning curve and some potential headaches with overblocking and older devices. You might have to do some “whitelist TLC,” as one user put it, which basically means a lot of un-blocking things. Good luck!