Security researchers and anti-stalkerware organisations classify mSpy as stalkerware -- software designed to secretly monitor another person without their knowledge or consent. The Coalition Against Stalkerware, co-founded by Kaspersky, Norton, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was created in part to combat apps like mSpy. Kaspersky, Norton, and Malwarebytes all detect mSpy as stalkerware or a "potentially unsafe application." mSpy monitors text messages, phone calls, GPS location in real time, social media activity (WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder), keystrokes, photos, browser history, and email. The app operates in "stealth mode" -- invisible on the target device. No consent from the monitored person is required. On iOS, mSpy can access a target's data using only their iCloud credentials, without physical device access. The tool marketed for parents is architecturally identical to the tool used by abusive partners.

Bark's AI monitoring scans children's text messages, emails, YouTube activity, and content on 30+ social media platforms. Reports indicate the AI generates significant false positives -- flagging LGBTQ+ content, discussions about mental health, song lyrics, dark humor, and normal teenage communication as "concerning." A teen texting a friend "I'm dying" (meaning "I'm laughing") can trigger a parental alert for suicidal ideation. A teen researching LGBTQ+ topics for a school project or personal identity exploration gets flagged. The parent receives an alert saying their child discussed "concerning content" without seeing the full context. The child doesn't know they've been flagged, doesn't know what was flagged, and has no ability to explain or contest the alert. Bark creates a surveillance system where an algorithm decides what's concerning about a teenager's private life and reports it to their parents without the teenager's knowledge.

Google Family Link requires creating a Google account for children -- feeding data into Google's ecosystem from childhood. The child's search history, location data, YouTube watch history, app usage patterns, and Chrome browsing activity are all collected by Google. In 2019, Google and YouTube paid $170 million to settle FTC and New York AG allegations that YouTube illegally collected children's personal information and used it to target ads to children, violating COPPA. The settlement was the largest ever in a COPPA case. Google's parental control tool creates the Google account that Google then uses to collect data from children. The tool that claims to protect children is also the onboarding mechanism for Google's data collection infrastructure. A child who grows up with Family Link has a Google account with 13+ years of search history, location data, and viewing habits by the time they reach adulthood.