How Parents Can See Search History of Children: 4 Tested Methods

You can see your child’s browser history on their Google account. However, if they use incognito mode, the best way to see their search history is through a parental control app for family like mSpy. Moreover, if they are always on Wi-Fi, you can see their search history by checking your router logs history.

Raising kids in the digital age comes with its fair share of challenges. According to a Virgin Media O2 report, 46% of British parents do not know what their kids are doing online. This means being unaware of the websites that children visit, which leaves kids vulnerable to cyber identity theft, cyberbullying, exposure to pornography, addiction, and sexual victimization.

Examining your child’s browser history keeps you in the loop of what websites your children are visiting, which will prevent unpleasant surprises. Even the Child Rescue Coalition advises monitoring internet and social media usage for kids’ safety.

Thus, we’ve compiled four methods for finding a child’s search history on PC and mobile devices.

How to Find Search History in Google Account

If the Web and App activity feature in your Google account is turned on, Google stores your activity, such as your search history. The data includes searches, location, and information that allows Google to provide a personalized experience.

Similarly, when your child searches on Google, you can see their search history on their Google account. The good thing is that Google stores the search history even if they delete it from the browser history.

You will need access to your child’s Google account by knowing their Google account email address and password.

To find the search history using your child’s Google account:

1. Open a browser and type google.com. You will see the option to sign in in the top-left corner. Use your child’s Google credentials to log in.
   
2. Click on your child’s profile icon or image in the top-left corner. Select Manage Your Google Account > Data & Privacy.
   
3. Scroll down to History Settings, then click Web & App Activity.
   
4. Google will open the Activity Controls page. Click the Google icon under [See and Delete Activity].
5. You will see the Search history page, which shows the search queries and the time they were entered.
   

Check Search History in Browser

All browsers, be it Google Chrome or Safari, have a locally stored browsing history that you can access from the device used to access the internet. This includes the browser history, download history, cookies, and caches.

The web browsing history shows the list of web pages visited, even if they are not searched directly on google.com. For example, you will see the history of web apps like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Nevertheless, browsers have a private browsing mode, which does not record the browsing history. If your child uses the private browsing mode, you won’t be able to see their internet history through the settings — only with monitoring tools we review later.

How to Open Browsing History in Chrome

To find the browsing history on Chrome:

1. Open Google Chrome browser on a PC or the mobile device that your child uses. Click on the three dots on the top right of the browsing window. The drop-down menu will appear.
2. To open the history page, hover over the History option, click on the word “History” on the side tab that appears, or use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+H.
   
3. Browse through the history to see your child’s online activity on Chrome.
   Use the search bar to search for keywords used in the searches.
   

How to Find Browsing History on iPhone Safari

When your child browses the web on Safari, the browser can store their history for days, weeks, or even months. All you need to do is access their history on the iPhone or iPad that they use to browse the internet.

To check search history on iPhone:

1. Open Safari on iPhone.
2. Tap the Bookmarks icon at the bottom of the page. It will open the Bookmarks page.
   
3. You will see three icons at the top of the page. Tap the clock, which represents History.
4. View your kids’ online activities, showing all the websites they visited.
5. Use the search bar to see previously viewed web pages based on keywords.
   

Source: YouTube

How to See Search History on Safari on a Mac

Navigating the search history on a Mac differs slightly from on an iPhone or iPad.

To see what websites your child has been on Mac Safari:

1. Open the Safari browser. Click on the History tab on the top bar.
2. Click on [Show All History] or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ Y (Command + Y).
   
3. You will see the detailed list of all the websites your child has visited on their Mac computer, organized by date.
   
4. You can use the search bar in the top-right corner to filter the history by keyword.
   

Checking your child’s search history on Safari can help you know if they are visiting inappropriate sites, which can lead to digital safety talks and guidance.

However, you cannot block websites on Safari; you will need a third-party tool that can block websites on iPhone to prevent exposure to inappropriate content.

Monitor Deleted History and Incognito Browsing with mSpy

The browser does not save incognito browsing history, so you won’t see it on your kid’s device. In addition, older kids know how to delete inappropriate search history; thus, you cannot see it when you look for it on their browser. This is where parental controls come in.

The best parental control tools can track a child’s phone even without them knowing.

During our research, we discovered that the mSpy parental control app can monitor a child’s browsing history even if they delete it or use incognito mode.

mSpy acts as a browser history viewer, taking screenshots of the web pages your child visits. Therefore, you can see their browsing history with all the web apps they visited.

Moreover, with mSpy, you can block websites on Android.

Overall, this monitoring app is a comprehensive parental control tool that allows you to track text messages, call logs, location, and media stored on your child’s device.

Try mSpy

Check Browsing History on Router

Some Wi-Fi routers can store browser history logs. To access these logs, you need the router’s default IP address, username, and password.

You can check your child’s browsing history on the router if they use your home Wi-Fi network to browse the internet on whichever device they use.

Find out your router’s IP address, username, and password on the back of your router, usually on a sticker. If you previously changed the default username and password, you will need them to access your router’s dashboard.

On the other hand, if you are using a modem router, you may have to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for these details.

To check browsing history on the router:

1. Open a browser tab and type the router’s IP address.
2. Enter the router’s username and password to log in.
3. Click User Log, Systems Log, or Administrative Event Log on the router’s dashboard.
4. You will see the browsing history logs, but in most cases, you will need network technical skills to understand what you see.

Note that not all routers store browser logs. Thus, it does not mean it was deleted if you don’t see any website history. The router may not record information related to sites visited.

Conclusion

Checking your child’s browsing history on their Google account or their devices can be a hit or miss.

Based on our research, using a parental control tool like mSpy is the best method of seeing your child’s internet history remotely. The app can see search history, including deleted searches and web page accesses in incognito browsing mode.