How to Cancel Bark Parental Controls (2026 Guide) — When Your Kids Outgrow Monitoring
Updated 2026-02-24 · 5 min read
Bark costs $14/month (Bark Premium) or $5/month (Bark Jr) for monitoring kids' online activity, text messages, and social media. If your kids are now teens who've earned more trust, or you've decided monitoring isn't working for your family, here's how to cancel — plus free built-in alternatives.
⚠️ Remove Bark from Devices: Canceling the subscription doesn't uninstall the app. Remove Bark from your child's devices to avoid confusion. On iPhone, you'll also need to remove the Bark MDM profile (Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → Bark → Remove Management).
Free Built-In Parental Controls
Every major platform has free parental controls built in:
Apple Screen Time (free):
App time limits and downtime scheduling
Content & privacy restrictions
Screen distance detection (iPhone 15+)
Communication limits (who they can contact)
Purchase approval (Ask to Buy)
Location sharing via Find My
Google Family Link (free):
App approval and time limits
Device bedtime and lock
Location tracking
SafeSearch enforcement
YouTube Kids filtering
Chrome website restrictions
Bark vs Free Alternatives: What You Lose
Bark's key differentiator is content monitoring — it scans texts, social media, and emails for concerning content (bullying, self-harm, predators). Free tools don't do this:
Bark monitors content — Apple/Google only restrict access, they don't read messages
Bark alerts for keywords — Depression, self-harm, violence, drugs, sexual content
Bark covers 30+ apps — Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, etc.
If content monitoring is your primary concern, there's no free equivalent
When to Stop Monitoring Your Kids
Consider transitioning away from monitoring when:
Your teen is 16+ and has demonstrated responsible online behavior
The monitoring is damaging trust more than protecting them
They've found workarounds (second phone, friend's device, VPN) — monitoring only works when kids don't circumvent it
You've had enough conversations about online safety that they can self-regulate
Gradual approach: Reduce monitoring scope over time rather than going from full monitoring to none
Bark Phone Return
If you bought a Bark Phone (the hardware device):
The Bark Phone requires an active Bark subscription to function
Canceling the sub means the phone's monitoring features stop
The phone itself still works as a basic Android device
30-day return policy from purchase for full refund on the hardware
🔍 Family Subscription Audit: Bark + Life360 + family phone plan + Disney+ + kids' app subscriptions — family digital subscriptions can exceed $100/month. Upload your bank statement to JustCancel to see every charge.