The internet is both a blessing and a battlefield. Our kids use it for school, friendships, and fun—but it’s also a place where temptation, danger, and discouragement lurk. As parents, it can feel overwhelming to know how to keep them safe without hovering over their every move.
That’s where Bark Parental Controls comes in—a modern tool that helps parents guard their children online while allowing them the privacy and independence they crave.
(We are a Bark affiliate, so may earn a small commission if you sign up…We share Bark though because we’ve also been members for almost 4 years now and know how it has benefitted us.)
Why we feel very passionately about this...
A long time ago in a land far far away I was a 911 Dispatcher and My Love was a Lieutenant in the Sheriff’s Department. We saw and we heard… a lot.
We come from a place of knowing that bad things happen and most people don’t see them coming. The most heartbreaking things often involved children. I remember vividly a mother calling sobbing because her 8 year old daughter had been exposed to p*rn*gr*phy at a daycare during Covid and her history showed repeated websites and views. When she questioned her daughter, the girl told her about one of the older teens who showed it to her. She was just devastated at the innocence that was stolen from her daughter.
I cried with that mama after I hung up from the call.
We have daughters, and thankfully the blessing of being able to have them at home…but we knew that something could happen anywhere, even at church. We went on a search to find the best parental control and safety system that we could.
That’s when we found…
An important note:
Bark is a tool…it will help parents keep their children safer online… IT IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR PARENTAL OVERSIGHT!
Parenting in the Digital Age: The Reality We Face
The average child spends 7+ hours a day on screens. They’re surrounded by voices—friends, influencers, advertisers—each shaping how they think and live. Unfortunately, online dangers are very real:
Cyberbullying can crush a child’s spirit.
Predators look for open doors.
Inappropriate content sneaks in even when we’re careful.
Anxiety and depression are often fueled by constant comparison and exposure.
As Christian parents, this reality isn’t surprising. God’s Word reminds us:
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
What Is Bark?
Bark is a parental monitoring tool designed to alert you when something harmful might be happening online. It doesn’t spy or read every word for you—instead, it scans your child’s activity and sends you notifications about concerning issues like bullying, depression, inappropriate content, or unsafe interactions.
Bark monitors:
Text messages
Emails
YouTube
30+ social platforms
It also provides screen time management, web filtering, and location sharing, all in one app.
Think of Bark as digital guardrails—a way to keep kids safe while they grow in wisdom and responsibility.
Why We Love Bark
- Proactive Alerts: You don’t have to read every message—Bark flags the concerns. Especially with several kids there’s no way that we could read everything…And of course there is the problem of messages being deleted before could can see them.
- Up to Date Slang: Teen language is ever evolving and let’s be honest…we have no idea what they’re saying half the time. Bark has staff that keeps up with the newest slang and will alert you to it. (Did you know “Gardening” means smoking marijuana?? Who knew??)
- Behavior-Not Just Words: Bark doesn’t only look for “key” words…but it picks up on things like grooming, suggestive comments, and the things that evil can try to say without saying.
- Peace of Mind: You can breathe easier knowing you’ll be notified if something’s wrong. It doesn’t matter where your kids are, you’ll get the notifications…And you’ll get them soon- not hours later when situations could have escalated.
- Balanced Privacy: Kids don’t feel like you’re constantly hovering. Our girls have always been happy to hand their phones over any time we ask for them…no hesitations, and we’re thankful for that… But we also have teenagers, and we know that they need to learn to navigate things without Mom and Dad over their shoulder all the time. Bark allows us to give them a little more space, while knowing that if we need to know about something- we will.
Testimony: Our girls are part of a very active youth group…we love the kids, but several come from families that have a little different standards than we do and some of the kids are public schooled and exposed to quite a bit more than our girls. As they have shared prayer requests to the group several have been about serious issues, like family members dying, drug use in someone they knew, etc. These are topics that in our texts were ok, we were able to talk about them and pray for the families…
But there have been a couple other messages that just seemed “off”…not bad, but not normal for the girl sharing them… they seemed almost like “”goodbyes.” We were able to alert the leader of the youth group who reached out to the child and the parents to make sure everything was ok. We thank God that we were notified by Bark and made aware…and that a sign wasn’t missed by the ignorance of youth who don’t always realize when something might be a cry for help.
Features That Matter for Christian Families
Screen Time Management – Bark helps create healthy schedules, so kids aren’t glued to devices all day. This is a HUGE problem today…especially for kids who are often on electronics for school and then want to have “fun” once they’re done. It’s so easy for the majority of their days to be electronic.
Content Filtering – Protects their innocence while allowing access to what’s good. There is so much GOOD on the internet, really… Educational things, Encouraging things…we just need to keep the good separate from the bad.
Location Sharing – Provides safety and accountability when kids are out with friends. The Bark App has a map that shows you where your child is, can set up alerts for when they come and go from places like school or church, and can allow them to check in with you quickly while out and about.
This aligns with our biblical call as parents:
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Bark Is a Tool, Not a Substitute for Parenting
It’s important to remember—Bark doesn’t replace discipleship. It simply supports it. Our kids still need us to guide, teach, and model godly wisdom.
Bark opens the door for better conversations:
“Hey, I got an alert about something—can we talk about it?”
“How are you feeling about what’s happening with your friends online?”
The tool provides awareness, but the heart work is still ours as parents! And heart work is the most important work we can do! You can read our article about Raising Children Who Know God’s Word for more help in that heart work.
How to Get Started With Bark
Connect your child’s devices. It works on phones, tablets, and laptops!
Set filters and screen time boundaries.
Review alerts and use them to spark healthy conversations.
It is absolutely worth every penny that Bark costs…and thankfully it’s Really Affordable!
Faith + Tech: Why This Matters
The digital world disciples our kids every day. That’s why we, as Christian parents, need to be intentional about how they use it.
Bark doesn’t solve every issue, but it helps us guard their hearts while pointing them to truth.
As we’re told in Scripture…
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Conclusion
Parenting in the digital age is tough—but you don’t have to face it alone. Bark is a resource that helps us stay alert and involved, without becoming overbearing or fearful.
With the right tools and God’s wisdom, we can raise children who navigate technology with safety and strength.
