Norton Family Review Summary

Growing up near the Symantec headquarters, I have fond memories of using their expansive underground parking space for rollerblading adventures. This personal connection may color my perception of the company, but it's undeniable that Symantec is a titan in the realm of cybersecurity, leading the way across various domains.

Given this legacy, it’s no surprise that their parental control software, known as "Norton Family," adheres to the high standards set by their other products.

However, does Norton Family truly possess the capabilities to shield your children from the vast and sometimes perilous online landscape? Continue reading to explore our comprehensive review of Norton Family Premier Parental Control.

Exclusive Offer: Experience Norton Family free for a month!

Symantec has made significant improvements to simplify the installation process compared to earlier versions of their antivirus solutions. Gone are the days of overwhelming users with an array of complex settings right from the first menu.

Setting up your account and connecting to the family network has become much more user-friendly, whether you choose to explore the service with a free trial or commit to a full subscription.

Installing Norton Family on a Windows 10 device is a straightforward process, which I find beneficial when adding software to my system. However, Symantec still faces some challenges, as we encountered issues with the basic version of Norton Family functioning properly on Windows 10 after installation.

Our experience began when we introduced our test child, “Lily,” into the system. After creating her profile, complete with a personalized avatar, we moved on to linking the devices she would use. This included her Windows PC, an iPhone 7, and a Nexus tablet running Android 5.5.1, alongside the respective operating systems of Windows and iOS 10.3.2.

To enable tracking of Lily on her PC, we needed to download an executable from the “add device” section of the website. Initially, it seemed that the download only installed a Chrome extension, and upon execution, the browser window closed unexpectedly.

Returning to the initial page we used for adding the Windows 10 desktop led to a re-download of the executable file, initiating the entire setup process anew.

In typical troubleshooting fashion, my first instinct was to restart my computer to check for any changes.

To my relief, after rebooting and loading up my desktop, the Norton Family installer reappeared, notifying me that the installation was complete.

An icon for the application showed up in my taskbar.

By right-clicking it and selecting the appropriate option from the menu, I was directed to the Norton Family web-based dashboard.

Managing the Norton Family experience is done through the family.norton.com interface.

At first glance, it’s clear that Symantec has dedicated significant resources to create a user-friendly and visually appealing parental control dashboard.

The design features thoughtful details, such as unique icon avatars for each child, enhancing personalization and ease of use.

This thoughtful approach not only simplifies the process of adjusting settings for individual users but also serves as a poignant reminder of the subscription's purpose: safeguarding your children.

From the main dashboard to the configuration of house rules, Norton Family stands out with its modern aesthetic and streamlined functionality, setting a high bar within its category.

The overall appearance and feel of the software are impressive, distinguishing it from many competitors that often rely on cluttered text-based menus.

In the image provided, you can observe the logos of certain video platforms that are restricted for individual users. This feature is particularly beneficial for parents who may not be tech-savvy, allowing them to easily identify what is being monitored and the duration of such monitoring.

To further assist parents who may be intimidated by technology, every adjustable setting and menu option includes a dedicated “help” link. Clicking on these links directs users to specific FAQ pages that clarify how to utilize the features effectively.

Given that Norton Family Premier is one of the pricier choices in the realm of parental control solutions, we had high expectations for its feature set. Fortunately, Symantec delivered on those expectations.

Symantec incorporates a feature called “house rules” within its monitoring system. These rules dictate what activities a child can engage in when utilizing a device connected to the family network. For each facet of their online activity that you wish to oversee, there’s a corresponding set of house rules that determine what information is relayed to you and what remains confidential in their personal logs.

Comprehensive Parental Control Features

The customization options offered by this program enhance the overall user experience, enabling parents to establish appropriate online limits for their children while still preserving a sense of freedom.

Finding this equilibrium is essential for kids of all ages, particularly for teenagers who benefit from a degree of flexibility to demonstrate their trustworthiness during their crucial adolescent years.

A notable feature that eases the monitoring process for children is the ability to categorize web history rather than viewing it all at once.

This system employs predefined metrics that leverage site metadata and content analysis to effectively filter relevant information.

Considering that children now spend an average of nine hours daily engaging with screens, having the right tools to manage this extensive data is invaluable.

The content monitoring features are categorized into various themes including “shopping”, “cyberbullying”, “nudity”, and even less common categories such as “plagiarism” and “military”.
These classifications are designed to assist you in tracking the types of material your child engages with, organized into intervals of a week, two weeks, or a month.

Additionally, two significant features—social network oversight and video monitoring—enable you to oversee your child’s activities on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
The video monitoring feature specifically focuses on popular streaming services such as YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix, ensuring that the content accessed is suitable for their age.

One feature that caught my attention is the convenient “lockdown” option.

This allows parents to completely restrict device access when necessary, providing a swift solution for those moments when your child may need a break from screens.

Once the situation is resolved, you can easily reactivate the device by switching the toggle off, giving you a powerful tool to manage their screen time effectively.

However, it's important to note that this lockdown feature is not available for iOS users.

On iOS, the limitations are similar to those encountered with various other parental control applications.

The main form of control involves disabling essential device functionalities through the settings menu's restrictions section.

This process requires navigating through multiple settings and securing them with a passcode.

Ultimately, this setup means that the only part of the device that remains safeguarded is the web browser provided by the Norton app itself.

You can utilize the location tracking feature in both the iOS and Android versions of Norton Family. For many, this capability alone could justify the subscription cost, especially considering that some cellular providers impose additional fees for similar tracking services. With real-time monitoring, you can ensure your child's whereabouts align with their claims, supported by a detailed map and timeline to verify any inconsistencies in their stories.

It's important to note that the Android app offers a broader range of controls compared to its iOS counterpart. This is primarily due to the root access permissions that Norton configures during setup. This advanced access allows you to receive complete transcripts of your child's text messages. Additionally, you can regulate the types of videos they can view, manage app installations, and set limits on device usage time, giving you comprehensive oversight of their online activities.

Norton Family Premier Overview

Norton Family Premier offers a vast range of customization options, making it an excellent choice for parents managing multiple young children involved in various activities like school, sports, and dance.

Symantec has clearly dedicated significant effort to classifying the internet to determine which websites are appropriate for children. However, during our tests with accounts for both a seven-year-old and a seventeen-year-old, we encountered a considerable number of false positives.

Several websites that were labeled as “uncategorized” were unnecessarily blocked, raising concerns about the reliability of the filtering system. Furthermore, we discovered that it was relatively easy to bypass the pornographic content filter by accessing some lesser-known sites. This indicates that Norton Family's ability to restrict adult content relies heavily on a pre-existing database, requiring manual input from users to enhance its effectiveness.

When evaluating the effectiveness of Norton Family Premier, it’s important to note its performance in blocking inappropriate content.

During testing, we discovered a notable discrepancy: one popular adult webcam site was swiftly blocked, while another was completely unrestricted.

This inconsistency highlights the limitations of the parental control system, particularly when it comes to categorizing content. Currently, users can only filter websites based on broad categories, which makes it challenging to differentiate between specific sites within those groups, such as “shopping.”

The process of whitelisting specific sites one by one can feel tedious, but it may not be a major concern since children typically frequent a limited number of websites during their online activities.

However, if a child encounters a blocked site, they have several options available. If they attempt to access restricted content in a web browser, they will be presented with a prompt allowing them to request access from the account administrator, potentially leading to unblocking in the future.

If you find it unappealing to have your children repeatedly submitting formal requests to access new websites, there is an option to completely turn off this feature.

Norton Family Premier provides a robust solution for managing online content for children, effectively blocking most inappropriate material as per the established categories. However, it has had minor issues with certain lesser-known adult sites. The platform offers flexibility in handling new content requests, allowing parents to adjust settings as needed.

Support options include both live chat and telephone assistance, with a strong recommendation for live chat in complex situations. This method allows technicians to remotely access your device, facilitating quicker resolutions. Our experience with both support channels was mostly positive, although we did encounter several typographical errors during the chat, indicating the technician might not be a native English speaker. Nevertheless, they comprehended our issue and resolved it swiftly, within about five minutes.

Importantly, we found that wait times for speaking with a technician never exceeded five minutes, which is commendable in the realm of tech support.

The Norton Family suite can be purchased as a standalone product or as part of the comprehensive Norton Premium Security suite. The pricing structure includes the Norton Family Premier plan at $49.99 per year, or for just $10 more annually, users can access the Norton Premium Security suite for $59.99. This latter option includes all Norton security features, such as firewall protection and identity security, making it a more valuable choice.

For those who remain undecided, Norton offers a 30-day free trial of the Family feature, after which users must subscribe or the software will be removed.

Symantec continues to lead the market in parental control software with Norton Family, especially in user experience and simplicity. However, there is still room for improvement in its filtering performance.

Norton Family Overview

When you start using Norton Family Premier, don’t expect it to be ready to go with all settings pre-configured from the start. It's essential to exercise some patience as the software adapts to your child's online behavior over time.

With that said, the flexibility and control Norton Family offers in managing your children’s internet usage is unparalleled.

Navigating parenthood in a digital world can be challenging, and each family has its unique approach. It's crucial to educate your kids about the potential hazards of the internet early on. Make sure they realize that your primary role is to safeguard them, not merely to monitor their online activities.

Norton Family provides various customization options for tracking features, making it suitable for different parent-child relationships. This way, it can help build trust and enhance the overall peace of mind for everyone in the household.

Explore Norton Family for more insights.

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