Qustodio (software)

Qustodio is a parental control application.Biersdorfer, J. D. "Tools to Keep Your Children in Line When They’re Online", The New York Times, New York, 2 March 2018. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. designed by Qustodio Technologies"Qustodio Technologies SL: Qustodio & Kidslox File a Complaint Against Apple with the European Commission over Abuse of Dominant", Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg, 20 May 2019. Retrieved on 11 February 2021.. The Qustodio app allows parents to protect and monitor their children’s online activity remotely on digital devicesYang, James. "Feeling like the smartphone has taken over your child’s life, experts talk about how to regain control", The Washington Post, Washington D.C., 22 August 2019. Retrieved on 12 February 2021..
==History==
Qustodio was developed in 2012 by cyber-security experts, Eduardo Cruz, Josep Gaspar and Josh Gabel in order to protect children from increased exposure to online risks due to more digital devices, such as tablets and smartphones, coming into the home. The first version of Qustodio was for Windows "Qustodio Launches Major Release of Parental Control Software", Yahoo! Finance, 29 November 2012. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.. In 2013, the company added support for iOS iPhone, and iPad. In 2014, the company also added support for Android and Mac, and added new features including location monitoring, app controls, SMS and call monitoring, and incognito mode detection. In 2015, Qustodio Technologies launched a professional offeringPickavance, Mark & Faulds, John. "Qustodio Professional for Business review", TechRadar, Retrieved on 12 February 2021. of Qustodio software for schools and organizations. In 2019, Qustodio Technologies added two new features to the app: YouTube Monitoring and Family Locator (geolocation). In 2020, the company expanded the geolocation feature to include Your Places (geofencing). In 2021, Qustodio Technologies added ChromebooksRiley, Sean. "Qustodio parental-control app review", Tom's Guide, 10 February 2021. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. to the list of devices the Qustodio app is able to protect.
===Features===
As of 2021, the Qustodio software includes the following features:
* Game and app blockingRubenking, Neil J. "Qustodio", PC Mag, 7 August 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Screen time limits, quotas and downtimesLee, Ellen. "The Best Apps for Managing Your Kid’s Phone", The New York Times, New York, 1 May 2019. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Website and content category filteringMcMahon, Jordan. "How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online", Wired (magazine)|Wired, 12 May 2017. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Safe searchRiley, Sean. "Qustodio parental-control app review", Tom's Guide, 9 February 2021. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Activity reporting: real-time, daily, weekly and monthly summariesHill, Simon. "Qustodio is a parental control software that helps parents keep tabs on their kids' screen time, but it's too expensive and invasive to recommend when free alternatives exist", Business Insider, 6 August 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Activity alerts and panic buttonStodart, Leah. "How to set device limits without confiscating your kid's phone", Mashable, 18 May 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Geolocation (Family Locator)"What is Qustodio and how will it help you protect your child?", Pocket-lint, 25 February 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. and geofencing (Your Places)Stobing, Chris. "Qustodio Parental Control Review", Comparitech, 11 December 2019. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* SMS & Call monitoring"Parenting in the digital age: Easy control of kids' screen time", The Straits Times, 11 February 2018. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. 
* YouTube monitoringStodart, Leah. "How to set device limits without confiscating your kid's phone", Mashable, 18 May 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
* Facebook monitoringKelly, Meghan. "Software that lets parents see what their kids do on Facebook gets $1M", Venture Beat, 5 March 2013. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
==Platforms==
Qustodio works on ChromebooksBrangers, Gabriel. "Qustodio Brings Industry-leading Parental Control Software to Chromebooks", Chrome Unboxed, 11 February 2021. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. desktopsRiley, Sean. "Qustodio parental-control app review", Tom's Guide, 10 February 2021. Retrieved on 12 February 2021., laptopsJean. "Qustodio Parental Control Software Review", Be Web Smart, 16 April 2014. Retrieved on 12 February 2021., smartphonesSchofield, Jack. "How can I control my child’s social media use?", The Guardian, London, 8 February 2018. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. and tablets"What is Qustodio and how will it help you protect your child?", Pocket-lint, 25 February 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.. The Qustodio app works on Android, Apple iOS, Chrome OS (on Chromebooks), Amazon Fire OS (Kindle) Riley, Sean. "Qustodio parental-control app review", Tom's Guide, 10 February 2021. Retrieved on 12 February 2021., Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows Devine, Richard. "Best Parental Control Software for Windows in 2020", "Windows Central", 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
==Languages==
Qustodio is available in 8 languages"Qustodio Parental Control Apps Review", Consumer Advocate, Retrieved on 12 February 2021.: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Chinese and Japanese.
===Reception===
Qustodio has 2 million users worldwide and has won awards for its system and contributions to online safety. In 2021, PCMag voted Qustodio “The best for excellent capabilities”.Moore, Ben & Rubenking, Neil J. "The Best Parental Control Software for 2021", PC Mag, 15 December 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. In 2020, Newsweek called Qustodio a “Dependable solution for mobile devices, laptops and desktop computers”. Newsweek Amplify. "The Ultimate Guide to Parental Control Apps 2020", Newsweek, 12 June 2020. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. In 2019, The New York Times referred to it as the “Better choice for Android households with children 13 and older”Lee, Ellen. "The Best Apps for Managing Your Kid’s Phone", The New York Times, New York, 1 May 2019. Retrieved on 12 February 2021. and Adecco named Qustodio among the “Best Entrepreneurial Projects - for supporting the responsible use of internet and screens in families”.Castro Betancourt, Silvia. "Aon, Mahou San Miguel, and Bankinter are among the El Mundo Zen Adecco award winners", Online Marketplaces, 5 December 2019. Retrieved on 12 February 2021.
==Criticism==
Children and teens complain about Qustodio, give it poor reviews on app stores, or try to uninstall it because they do not like to have the time they spend on digital devices or the apps and games they use restricted.