Child-monitoring apps might need a reboot

Pam Wisniewski, a principal research scientist at the International Computer Science Institute, reports that parental-control apps that scan texts, photos and chats now comprise a $1.57 billion market. In 2025, Bark alone processed 11 billion messages from 7.5 million U.S. children. The tools have prevented suicides, predator contact and possible school shootings, yet user reviews document false alarms, privacy breaches and trust erosion that can damage the youths they aim to protect.