Meet the BrightCanary Keyboard: A Smarter Way to Monitor Every App Your Child Uses

The new BrightCanary app uses a secure keyboard to monitor what your child types across every app they use. Whether they’re sending a message, texting a friend, or commenting on a video, BrightCanary gives you real-time insights and alerts.

What is the BrightCanary Keyboard?

The BrightCanary Keyboard replaces login-based monitoring for most apps. Instead of needing passwords to monitor your child’s social media accounts or internet activity, BrightCanary works by securely monitoring what your child types using a keyboard installed on their iPhone or iPad.

This means:

• You don’t need your child’s Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat password to keep them safe.
• You don’t need to plug their phone into a computer or sync over WiFi, as with other child safety platforms.
• You get real-time insights into what’s happening across all their messaging and social apps.

The app uses AI to distill what’s most important to you, like concerning alerts and emotional insights, so you don’t have to sift through every message.

“We heard from parents who wanted better visibility into their child’s digital life, especially on Apple devices,” Karl said. “The keyboard is a smarter, simpler way to stay informed.”

How it works

To get started, parents install the BrightCanary app on their phone and their child’s device. Once the BrightCanary Keyboard is set up and made the default on the child’s device, the app begins securely processing what’s typed and delivers real-time alerts and summaries to the parent’s dashboard.

You’ll see:

• AI summaries of your child’s conversations
• Emotional trends and tone shifts
• New interests or topics they’re exploring
• Concerning content alerts related to bullying, explicit language, self-harm, and more
• Full transcripts of what they type 

BrightCanary does not monitor passwords or sensitive financial or personal information.

“We’ve always believed in awareness and building connection, not surveillance,” Steve said. “The keyboard helps parents see the bigger picture, like what their child is experiencing and talking about, without overstepping.”

Why this matters for parents today

Today’s kids live in an all-app, all-the-time world. They don’t just text: they type messages, replies, and comments in a dozen different places, and sometimes in slang that even Google struggles to decode.

The BrightCanary Keyboard gives you a unified view of that world, no matter where they’re typing.

Parental monitoring isn’t about catching them doing something wrong. It’s about knowing enough to guide them through the digital messiness of growing up. To check in when something feels off. To catch early warning signs before they spiral. To build trust and connection, even when the conversation is hard.

“There’s no perfect tool for parenting in the digital age, but we think this gets us a lot closer,” Karl said.

Learn how to set up the BrightCanary Keyboard on your child's device.

Related posts:

11 Screen-Free Family Activities to do Before Bedtime