As the first generation of parents raising kids with smartphones, we haven’t exactly had a guidebook — much less a parental control app. Our parents didn’t have to deal with issues like cyberbullying, online predators, or the rise in suicidal ideation among kids.
It was these dangers that led CEO Brian Bason to found Bark to help protect his own children. When I came on as CTO, my job was to build the tech that would enable Bark to become the premier parental control app in America — and we succeeded. Today, Bark protects nearly 6 million kids across the U.S. But building Bark would also teach me more about parenting in a tech world than I could ever imagine.
Online dangers require online solutions
The technology we give our kids presents unique challenges. To keep up with these threats — things like aggressive text messages from friends or feelings of depression hidden in a Google Doc — parents need to know what’s going on. Kids may not always know how to talk about these issues, or may not even realize when they’re happening. Building Bark allowed me to approach this problem with an engineer’s eye.
Creating an algorithm that scans children’s texts, emails, apps, and social media accounts for digital dangers and sends alerts to parents was the original goal of Bark. But parents needed more. This is why we’ve continually added tools to help parents protect their kids even more. We’ve launched web filters that block inappropriate content, custom screen time scheduling, and location sharing. We even released Bark Home, which provides parental controls on all the internet-connected devices in families’ homes. Bark is now the only comprehensive parental control app on the market. We do it all.
How Bark keeps parents one step ahead
Kids are wildly inventive and often more tech-savvy than their parents. Bark’s ever-evolving technology lets families learn about things they never would otherwise. Worried your child has a secret Instagram account (also known as a “Finsta”)? Bark detects welcome emails and confirmation texts from new social media platforms they may have signed up for. Need help deciphering emojis? Bark knows which ones secretly mean “marijuana.”
What I’ve learned about kids online
As a father of two, I use Bark to help protect my own family. I can’t in good conscience put zero limits or controls in place and just hope for the best. Unrestricted access to the internet is a serious danger — one that parents may not fully understand. Here at Bark, I’ve gotten a front-row seat to all of the dangers our kids are facing every single day.
In 2020, Bark analyzed more than 2.1 billion messages across texts, email, and 30+ apps and social media platforms. The results were staggering. 45.5% of tweens and 66.3% of teens engaged in conversations about depression. 70.9% of tweens and 87.9% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for kids aged 10 – 18, which means that it’s an issue every family should be aware of. Many children in the U.S. are silently struggling, and parents need help supporting them.
Why a parental control app like Bark is so important
Bark’s technology has enabled us to help stop 16 school shootings, send 394,000 severe self-harm alerts, and escalate 1,000+ predators to law enforcement — and that’s just a small sample. Our team has called families in the middle of the night to help avoid tragedies. It’s heartbreaking, but it shows just how important Bark is to so many families.
But more than anything, online safety isn’t a black-and-white engineering issue. It’s not just safe/unsafe. I’ve learned that a parental control app is only as good as the conversations it helps spark. That’s why I’m so proud of Bark. Our alerts create opportunities for connection. And even if your kid isn’t facing a life-threatening issue that needs your intervention, you get insight into what it’s like being a kid today. Spoiler alert: It’s not easy. I’d love for you to give our free 7-day trial a spin to see how it can help your family.
Want to help us protect kids in your community?
I believe in our product, and I know that bringing it to more families provides a real, tangible benefit to the world. We’ve been fortunate to have some amazing partners that are helping us achieve this goal — from social media companies like Live.Me to brands like Cricket Wireless that are eager to provide parental controls to their millions of users. If you’re interested in partnering with us to help make the world a safer place for kids, please reach out.
