{
  "id": 1900380,
  "title": "Child-monitoring apps might need a reboot",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/child-monitoring-apps-might-need-a-reboot",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-19T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Technology Review",
    "slug": "mit-technology-review",
    "url": "https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/19/1141623/child-monitoring-apps-need-reboot/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Child-monitoring apps are a rapidly growing market, with an estimated $1.57 billion value in 2025 and expected to nearly triple by 2034. The apps' purpose is to scan a child's digital communications, such as texts, photos, emails, and chats, and alert parents to potentially dangerous content. Bark Technologies, the current leader in this field, says its software scanned 11 billion messages from 7.5 million children in the US in 2025.\n\nHowever, while these apps have prevented suicide attempts, intercepted predators, and averted school shootings, they can also cause harm. Some apps include invasive features like screen mirroring and camera access. A study of over 600,000 reviews of leading apps and interviews with kids, parents, and former monitored individuals reveals that false alarms can lead to punishment, secrets revealed, trust breakdowns, and anxiety that carries into adulthood.\n\nResearchers and advocates argue that there are better approaches to child safety. One option is to make the platforms themselves safer, forcing social media companies to build in guardrails instead of relying on parental monitoring. Another approach is resilience training, which focuses on helping children recognize and cope with risks and encouraging them to turn to trusted adults when needed. This method is seen as a more effective alternative to simply surveilling children and attempting to control their digital environment.",
  "summary": "Pam Wisniewski’s digital adolescence showed her the best and the worst of the internet. At 14, she left an abusive home, where she’d been isolated in a fifth-wheel trailer at the end of a seven-mile dirt road. She moved in with her older sister and taught herself to type on AOL Instant Messenger. Online, she…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}