"Parental controls" gets thrown around a lot, but the word control might actually be working against you.
Research increasingly shows that the most effective thing parents can do in the digital age isn't to restrict and monitor — it's to guide.
Parents are facilitators, teachers, and gatekeepers of their children's media use. In line with Vygotsky's theory of child development, parental guidance is seen as a key strategy in developing children's skills to use and interpret media, fostering positive outcomes rather than simply preventing negative ones.
And there's an important distinction between the two approaches. Restrictive, surveillance-based parental control can undermine teen autonomy, erode trust between parents and children, and negatively impact overall family dynamics.
Guidance, on the other hand, builds something lasting. Children cultivate healthier digital habits when parents provide support for their use of technology, and parents who model effective media use encourage similar behaviors in their children, creating a ripple effect in their capacity to critically evaluate online content.
You don't need to be a tech expert to do this well. You just need to be present, curious, and intentional. You can ask your kids what they're watching, and talk about what makes content worth their time. Then, share your own thoughts about how your family uses screens. Research shows parental controls work best not as a standalone strategy, but when embedded in a broader approach to parent-child relationships and open communication.
That's the shift: from parental control to parental guidance. From enforcer to life teacher.
Grogo was built for exactly this kind of parent. Instead of locking down your child's screen time, Grogo works with it. With small, timed interruptions that your child can expect, together you can turn entertainment into learning opportunities. As a parent, you stay in control through the parent dashboard, which gives you an at-a-glance view of subjects covered, breaks completed, and progress made.
We’re a tool that supports the kind of intentional, engaged parenting the research says makes the real difference. Because the best thing you can give your child isn't a restricted screen. It's a parent who helped them learn how to use one.
Sources
Akter, M., Park, J. K., & Wisniewski, P. J. "Moving Beyond Parental Control Toward Community-Based Approaches to Adolescent Online Safety." arXiv, March 2025. arxiv.org
Livingstone, S., & Blum-Ross, A. Parenting for a Digital Future. Oxford University Press, 2020. As cited in: Kalmus, V., et al. "Shaping Children's Digital Futures." Acta Psychologica (2025). sciencedirect.com
Nikken, P., & Schols, M. "How and Why Parents Guide the Media Use of Young Children." Journal of Child and Family Studies 24, no. 11 (2015): 3423–3435. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Stoilova, M., Bulger, M., & Livingstone, S. "Do Parental Control Tools Fulfil Family Expectations for Child Protection? A Rapid Evidence Review of the Contexts and Outcomes of Use." Journal of Children and Media 18, no. 1 (2023): 29–49. doi.org
