This article applies to customers on the Bark Premium plan.
We built Bark to help families work with their children to stay safe online, and we are excited to provide that service for you and your family!
How do notifications work?
- We will ONLY alert you if there's a potential issue like a risky application, bullying, depression, etc. in your child's devices and accounts. Learn more about what makes Bark different here. You can also adjust alert sensitivity settings for each child.
- We do not send a notification of every single blocked website or app (for your sanity!), just the ones that may require your attention, like blocked Sexual Content websites/apps.
- You can add additional emails and phone numbers (like those of a spouse) so that they also receive alerts on your children's monitored activities.
- You can keep track of alerts, accounts, devices, and rules for your children from this dashboard. This dashboard is accessible via bark.us on any device or via the Bark parent/guardian app.
Are there any additional communications I will receive?
- We send a weekly recap every Sunday summarizing your children's activity during the week. You can manage your email preferences for this recap in your Alert Settings.
- You'll receive Conversation Starters occasionally, which attempt to spark engaging, informative, and sometimes hilarious talks with your kids. You can manage your email preferences for conversation starters in your Alert Settings.
- We also have weekly Family Quizzes to test your knowledge of tech, slang, and more with these fun quizzes for the whole family. You can manage your email preferences for the Family Quizzes in your Alert Settings.
- Lastly, we have an incredible support team available to help. Don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions.
How do I view my Alert Settings?
- Log in.
- Select the top right dropdown menu (computer) or the ≡ More menu (mobile).
- Tap on Alert Settings.
In Alert Settings, what does each section mean?
Adding Contacts
This section is where you can add or remove emails and phone numbers that receive alerts. For example, you may add your email, phone number, spouse's email, and spouse's phone number here. (Do not add children's emails or phone numbers here.)
Other Preferences
This section lists other communications preferences, like subscribing or unsubscribing from the Weekly Recap, Conversation Starters, and Family Quizzes.
What does an alert look like?
If our system finds something potentially alarming, you and any other notification contacts will receive an email, text, or app alert along with a snippet of the conversation or media for your review, as seen in the example below. We also include recommended tips on how to handle the situation.
Reviewing Alerts via Email
If we detect potential problems, email notification contacts will receive an email notice like this. When they click on Review Alerts, it will take them to the dashboard to see the alert.
Reviewing Alerts via App
If you've downloaded the Bark parent/guardian application on your Android or iOS device, you will receive an app push notification from Bark, allowing you to tap on the notification to take you to the Bark app and see the alert.
Reviewing alerts via text:
If you've set up text notifications, you will receive a text notification from Bark saying...
Bark alert: You have an alert to review for [Your Children].
Please review: [link to alert]
This allows you to tap on the link and be taken to your Bark dashboard to see the alert.
How to Use Your Sorting Filters for Alerts
Whether on a computer or on mobile, you can use the sorting filters at the top of your Alerts page to sort by child, platform, reviewed alerts, unreviewed alerts, and more.
For more information on using those filters, check out our guide here:
Use Your Sorting Filters for Alerts
How to Adjust the Sensitivity of Alerts
There are times when you don't want to be alerted every time your child or their friends use profanity or discuss weapons in video games. You can adjust alert sensitivity settings per child to help with this!
Don't worry, you'll always get alerts on the most severe issues (like imminent threat of harm to a child).
Learn more about adjusting sensitivity settings in our guide:
Adjust the Sensitivity of Monitoring Alerts
Need help or have additional questions?
We are happy to assist! Reach out to Bark Support, and we'll help every step of the way.