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Does Bark monitor Private Messages on Instagram a child's iPhone?

Bark can monitor how much the Instagram app can be used; however, to monitor private messages, parents may ned to consider some alternatives.

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Tech Lockdown Team
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Updated February 19, 2026
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If you are trying to monitor your child's Instagram private messaging activity on their iPhone, you might have considered the Bark app. However, while Bark can monitor some activity on iPhones, it can't monitor private messages between Instagram users or other activity that might be a risk for your child. It's important for parents to not only know who is talking with their child, but also what kind of messages are being sent. Fortunately, there are some alternatives to Bark on iOS that use different monitoring techniques, ensuring that Instagram can reliably be monitored.

Because of privacy features on Apple iOS devices and the specific technique Bark uses to monitor activity, it isn't able to monitor private messages on Instagram.

The only foolproof way to monitor a kid's iPhone and Instagram activity is to use a monitoring app that records the entire screen

Fortunately, monitoring apps like LivingRoom , which use screenshot-based monitoring, can capture Instagram activity. 

Alternatives to Bark that can monitor Instagram private messages

There are a few parental control apps, like the LivingRoom app for Families , that capture all activity on an iPhone by periodically capturing screenshots of your child's entire screen. A parent can review these screenshots to see activity.

With screenshot monitoring, you can see all activity on Instagram, including private messages, friend requests sent to your child, and much more.

Monitor your child's iPhone or iPad
Monitor your child's iPhone or iPad
Complete app and website monitoring with screen recording

Additionally, parents can enable account supervision on their child's Instagram account to set additional restrictions and monitor some (although not all) activity on their child's account. Instead of standard parental controls, Instagram uses account supervision, which is a bit more involved to set up.

See our parents' guide to Instagram for our walkthrough.

If you decide to use account supervision only to monitor your child's activity on Instagram, you (as a parent) won't be able to see the content of messages sent to your child without physically inspecting their iPhone. However, you can use it to ensure sensitive content is restricted and even set a time limit through the Instagram app. 

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