In the spring of 2012 we presented a comprehensive overview of the many parental control softwares available for use by recovering sex and love addicts. (As the “parental control” label suggests, these programs were initially designed to protect children from inappropriate content and contacts. However, many of the programs can be adapted for efficacious use by recovering sex and love addicts.) Much has happened in the last year, so we’ve updated our reviews accordingly.

Basically, parental control software products are installed by sex and love addicts on computers, laptops, pads, smartphones, and other mobile devices for two primary reasons:

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1. To help the addict stay away from inappropriate digital content and interactions
2. To create accountability within the addict’s recovery

The simple truth is digital interaction is, for nearly all sex and love addicts in today’s world, the gateway to a plethora of regrettable behavior—sexual chat rooms, pornography, webcam sex, alternate reality sex games, prostitutes, sensual massage, sexting, affairs, casual and anonymous hookups, etc. Just a few years ago, the majority of this activity took place via computers and laptops. Nowadays these activities are equally likely to be carried out “on-the-go” using smartphones. Thus, in the reviews that follow, a particular program’s availability and effectiveness on mobile devices is weighted more heavily than in the past.

Please note that the information presented herein is intended for sex and love addicts. Some of the programs that we do not recommend may well be incredibly effective for other purposes. They’re just not the right choice for adults attempting to eliminate compulsive sexual and romantic behaviors.

Before discussing specific programs, a general discussion of what sex and love addicts should be looking for in a filtering and accountability software is in order. The essentials are:

1. Customizable Controls. The better products have various present filtering levels, as well as blacklisting or whitelisting of certain sites—meaning sites that would normally be allowed can be manually blocked (blacklisted) and sites that would normally be blocked can be manually allowed (whitelisting).
2. Specific Features. Various softwares offer different degrees of functionality. In addition to customizable filtering, sex and love addicts should also look for some combination of the following:
   • the ability to monitor social media sites
   • the ability to block obscene language
   • the ability to stop the user from uploading photos and videos
   • the ability to monitor online conversations (emails, IMs)
   • the ability to block virtual sex games and other potentially addictive activities (violent video games, gambling sites)
   • key-logging (the ability to monitor everything the user types onto a digital device)
   • the ability to take and record screenshots (“photos” of what the user is looking at online)
3. Accountability. The software should notify an “accountability partner” about the nature and extent of the user’s digital activity. The accountability feature should be flexible, meaning the partner can get reports at regular intervals or on demand, and alerts in real-time if the addict uses (or attempts to use) his or her digital device in a prohibited way.
4. Proxy Blocking. Tech savvy addicts sometimes try to use proxies (intermediary servers or browsers) to circumvent filtering software. The best softwares prevent such abuses. Ideally, the program will notify the addict’s accountability partner if the addict attempts to uninstall or circumvent the program.
5. Ease of Use. The software should be easy to install and to customize. Ideally, you should be able to globally configure the software, establishing settings on all of the addict’s devices simultaneously instead of dealing with each machine individually.
6. Availability for Your Device. Not all softwares work on every digital device. In fact, many are quite limited. It is important to make sure a product works on your device before you purchase it. It is also important to see how many devices the license covers. Ideally, you want to cover all of your digital equipment with only one license.

It is important to remember that even the best parental control software is not perfect. Most sex and love addicts can find ways to access whatever it is they’re looking for. As such, these software programs should not be viewed as enforcers of recovery; instead, they should instead be looked at as tools that can help an addict maintain sobriety (through the filtering features) and rebuild trust (through the accountability features).

The following reviews are based on each software program’s effectiveness as a sex and love addiction recovery tool.

THE GOLD STANDARD

Net Nanny
http://www.netnanny.com/
Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS
$59.98 for up to three computers; $12.99 for one Android device; $4.99 for one iOS device

Net Nanny offers top-notch filtering and accountability for your entire system of digital devices, both Windows and Mac. Happily, Net Nanny’s availability and functionality on mobile devices has caught up with its overall quality on computers and laptops. As such, all of the major features recovering sex and love addicts need are now available for all of their devices.

OTHER RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

AVG Family Safety
http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-family-safety
Windows, Android, iOS
$49.95 for up to three computers, free downloads in app stores for both Android and iOS devices

AVG Family Safety offers useful filtering and accountability features for Windows based computers and Android mobile devices, along with iOS mobile devices. However, it is not available for MacOS computers. For PC users this may be a good option. For Apple users, it probably isn’t.

BSecure Family Safety
http://www.bsecure.com/
Windows, Android, iOS
$49.95 license covers up to three devices

BSecure offers top-notch filtering and accountability for Windows based computers, Android devices, and iOS devices. It is not available for MacOS computers. One nice feature with BSecure is that a user can override the blocking of a website with a password, but the site visit will be logged and the accountability partner will know. This is good for adults doing research for work, etc., who may not have time to “get permission” to visit a perfectly acceptable (or necessary) website. Another nice feature is the safety lock option, which totally locks out the Internet if the user goes wild trying to access blocked sites.

CovenantEyes
http://www.covenanteyes.com/
Windows, MacOS (limited), Android, iOS (limited)
First user—accountability $8.99/month, filtering $4.99/month, both $10.49/month; second user—accountability $2.00/month, filtering $1.50/month, both $3.50/month

For Windows and Android devices, CovenantEyes offers all of the basic functions that recovering sex and love addicts require. As of now, functionality on MacOS and iOS devices is limited to accountability, with no filtering. One nice feature is that if the software shows no Internet usage for several days—indicating the user might be circumventing the program by using another browser—the accountability partner gets an email. For PC and Android users this is a solid, though slightly expensive option. It is not a good option for Apple users.

McAfee Family Protection
http://home.mcafee.com/store/family-protection
Windows and Android
$49.99 for up to three computers; $19.99 Android app

For Windows and Android users, McAfee offers the full range filtering and accountability that recovering sex and love addicts seek. Unfortunately, McAfee no longer offers parental control software for MacOS and iOS devices, so Apple users are out of luck. If the software fits your devices, this is a good option. Otherwise, not so much.

Norton Online Family Premier
http://us.norton.com/norton-family-premier/?inid=us_hho_topnav_pd_family_premiere
Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS
$49.99; free download for Android and iOS devices with subscription to Norton Online Family Premier

Norton Online Family Premier offers all of the filtering and accountability features that recovering sex and love addicts are looking for. Best of all, it functions on a wide range of digital devices, regardless of operating system. This product has improved in the last year, eliminating several minor flaws in the previous version, and it is now a recommended option. As of now it is slightly less expensive than Net Nanny.

NOT RIGHT FOR RECOVERING SEX AND LOVE ADDICTS

CyberPatrol
http://www.cyberpatrol.com/
Windows
$39.95 for up to three computers

CyberPatrol’s accountability function is limited in that it can send real-time alerts via text but not email. However, the real issue is that CyberPatrol is not available for mobile devices. If it was, it would probably be a solid option for recovering sex and love addicts.

CYBERSitter
http://cybersitter.com/
Windows
$39.95 for up to three computers

For PC users, CYBERSitter does a decent job of filtering websites, IMs, and emails, but a lot of features that sex and love addicts find helpful, such as fully customizable filtering and real-time accountability reports, are missing. The killer, however, is that it’s not available for mobile devices.

eBlaster
http://www.spectorsoft.com/products/eblaster
Windows and Android
$99.95 for one license

eBlaster offers limited filtering features. Basically it is more of a monitoring and accountability software than a filtering software. It is not overly useful for recovering sex and love addicts. It’s also overpriced. On the plus side, it is available for Android.

imView
http://www.imview.com/
Windows
$59.99 annual subscription

There are limited filtering and accountability features. In other words, imView is primarily a monitoring program. There are no password controls, so it is easy to change the settings. There is no time restriction feature. The program is relatively easy to circumvent. It is not available for Android or iOS devices. This is not a great tool for recovering sex and love addicts.

Kidswatch
http://www.kidswatch.com/
Windows
$49.95 for one license

Kidswatch has all the basic filtering and accountability features that recovering sex and love addicts look for. Unfortunately, the software is not available for smartphones and other mobile devices. If Kidswatch adds Android devices, it could move onto the recommended list.

Profil Parental Filter 2
http://www.profiltechnology.com/en/
Windows and Android
$39.95 for up to three computers, Android protection purchased separately

There is a lot to like about Profil Parental Filter 2. Unfortunately, some of the features most important to sex and love addicts are not included, most notably real-time accountability alerts. If this and a few other shortcomings are addressed, this program could easily move onto the recommended list.

PureSight PC
http://www.puresight.com/
Windows
$59.90 for one computer, $79.90 for three computers

Filtering is fine with PureSight PC. Unfortunately, real-time alerts are available only by email, not text messaging, which for most accountability partners is the preferred method. Even worse, Puresight PC is not available for mobile devices.

SentryPC
http://www.sentrypc.com/
Windows
$49.95 for up to three computers

SentryPC offers the usual filtering and accountability features. Unfortunately, it is not available for mobile devices. Thus it is not recommended for recovering sex and love addicts.

WebWatcher
http://www.webwatchernow.com
Windows, MacOS
$97.00 for Windows, $97.00 for MacOS

WebWatcher is a keystroke logging program that also takes continuous screenshots. It does not offer the filtering features that most recovering sex and love addicts are looking for. It is also not available for mobile devices. For what it is, it’s a good program (albeit expensive). However, it’s not a good option for recovering sex and love addicts.