Securly

Securly

app

Everyone, 2018, Parenting

WISE
28%

WISE Score

1.1

App Store

School-mandated surveillance app that lets parents monitor every click on their kid's school device—trust issues not included.

Screenwise Verdict

Here's the thing: Securly isn't really a choice for most families—it comes bundled with your school's device management. The Home app just extends that surveillance into your house.

And look, I get it. The internet is genuinely scary sometimes, and schools are terrified of liability. But monitoring every search, every video, every click? That's not teaching kids to navigate the digital world—it's just watching them.

The Common Sense reviews from actual students are damning: they feel spied on, they resent the invasion of privacy at home, and it's hard to disagree. If you want your kid to develop actual digital literacy and judgment, this ain't it. This is training wheels that never come off.

If your school requires it, fine—but pair it with real conversations, not just reports and restrictions. And maybe think twice before checking that activity feed every day. Trust is hard to rebuild once it's gone.

Age Fit

Typically deployed for middle and high school students (grades 7-12) who have school-issued devices. The real question isn't age-appropriateness—it's whether surveillance is the right approach for your family's digital wellness philosophy.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
35

While the intention is protective, the app fundamentally operates on surveillance of children's online activity. This creates an unhealthy dynamic that undermines trust and models monitoring over communication. The real-time activity feed and constant tracking doesn't foster the kind of open, cooperative relationship that defines wholesome family tech use.

Imaginative
5

This is a monitoring and restriction tool with zero creative or exploratory elements. It's purely functional parental control software that limits rather than enables imagination. There's nothing here that invites curiosity, building, or creative expression—it's designed to block and surveil.

Safe
40

The app itself has no ads or direct monetization concerns, but it raises significant privacy and psychological safety questions. Students report it invades their personal life at home (per Common Sense reviews), and the constant surveillance can create anxiety and erode trust. The 'concerning activity' alerts for bullying/self-harm could be helpful but also invasive depending on implementation.

Enriching
20

Limited enrichment value. While it could theoretically help parents start conversations about online safety, in practice it's a blunt instrument that restricts rather than teaches. It doesn't build digital literacy, critical thinking, or responsible decision-making—it just blocks and reports. The pause button and activity feed are control mechanisms, not learning opportunities.

Parent Info

Why It Might Be Great

  • Free with your school's existing Securly Filter subscription
  • Real-time alerts for genuinely concerning online behavior like self-harm searches
  • Easy pause button for enforcing screen time limits on school devices
  • Can help anxious parents feel more in control when school tech comes home

What to Watch For

  • Students consistently report feeling their privacy is invaded, even at home
  • Surveillance-based approach can damage trust and doesn't teach digital responsibility
  • Only works with school-owned devices—you can't use this for personal phones or tablets
  • The constant monitoring creates a 'Big Brother' dynamic rather than fostering open communication
  • Doesn't help kids develop their own judgment about online safety

Conversation Starters

  • "How do you feel knowing your school device tracks what you look at online?"
  • "What would help you make better choices online—rules and monitoring, or learning why certain sites aren't great?"
  • "If you needed help with something scary you saw online, would you feel comfortable telling me, or would you worry about getting in trouble?"

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