The Canopy Parental Control apps are a great choice for parents wanting to limit what their children can access online, either via phone/tablet or computer. They not only filter inappropriate web sites but also use AI to filter images/videos and to prevent sexting! Let’s take a look!
Canopy offers many of the features that you would expect a parental control app to have:
- Filter Websites & Apps
- Time Management
- Down Time (scheduled pauses in Internet connectivity)
- Location Awareness (geofencing)
- Removal Prevention/Alerts
What makes Canopy really stand out, though, are it’s unique features:
- Filtering Images/Videos (using AI)
- Partial Nudity Prevention
- Sexting Prevention
Let’s take a look at the standard features and then go in-depth on the unique ones!
STANDARD FEATURES
User Interface
Parents manage Canopy via the web or a separate device app. Either way, it presents a simple, sharp dashboard that is very intuitive!
Filtering
As you can see in the image, below, Canopy’s Advanced Filtering operates by filtering:
- Categories
- Applications
- Websites
Filtering by category is pretty simple. For each category you have the content in that category be UNFILTERED, ALLOWED, or BLOCKED. This includes the ability to block TV Streaming and YouTube apps as well as download sites and apps. UNFILTERED categories are not filtered at all. ALLOWED categories can be accessed but will still be filtered based on content.
Filtering by App allows you to have control over installed apps. You can set each app to one of the same three settings as with Categories. You should be aware that the filtering settings on an app will override the settings for the category it may be in. For instance, let’s say you allow your child to have access to video streaming services such as Disney+ and PBS Kids but you don’t want them to be able to use HULU. So, you set the TV and Streaming category to ALLOWED but set the HULU app on BLOCKED. This is also great if you want to block an app that is distracting a child from homework/chores but don’t want the hassle of deleting and re-installing the app.
The final major option for filtering is to set a filter for a specific website. Using this setting you can either make a site UNFILTERED or BLOCKED. For instance, you can add the web site for Victoria’s Secret to your teen daughter’s device as UNFILTERED while setting it to BLOCKED on your pre-teen son’s phone.
Partial Nudity Prevention is found in the PROTECTION SETTINGS section. With this selected the AI not only blocks nude/pornographic images and videos but also blocks those including swimwear and lingerie. With this selected Canopy will continue to block full nudity & pornography.
Location Awareness
Canopy does not provide continuous location reporting. It does, however, allow you to create geo-fenced locations and will alert you when the child’s phone arrives at or leaves the location.
Down Time
Here, parents set periods of time where the device is connected to the Internet. This is very useful for enforcing bedtimes and homework periods. You can set a time period on multiple days, all at once, or create more customized time periods individually.
Note: “Midnight” on Friday must be scheduled as 12:00AM on Saturday.
Sexting Prevention (Android) and Sexting Alerts (iOS/iPadOS)
Material shared online can never truly be recalled. That’s why Canopy’s Sexting Prevention is so important. It will detect inappropriate images and videos, both incoming and outgoing, and will either prevent the sexting (Android) or alert the parent that it is happening (Apple devices).
This feature has two levels of operation:
- STANDARD detects full nudity
- ENHANCED detects partial nudity, including swimwear and lingerie
Platforms
Canopy is compatible on a variety of platforms:
- Android smartphones & tablets running Android 9 and higher
- iPhones/iPads running iOS 12 or higher
- Apple computers running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or higher
- Windows computers running Windows 7 or higher.
- Chromebooks
Summary
Canopy is an excellent package for placing boundaries on devices that your family uses. What makes it different is the use of AI to block images and videos instead of just blocking web sites and apps. This is especially helpful for those dealing with the temptations of pornography.
Do not forget that Canopy is “device-based”. It does not filter your entire network! It also does not filter streaming services (such as Hulu and Netflix) nor does it filter browsers on game consoles.
You can find Canopy at: www.canopy.us