Ugh, it’s wild how much some of these monitoring apps cost. Trying to keep your kids safe shouldn’t break the bank.
You’re on the right track with Family Link, especially since it’s free! It’s pretty solid for the basics. You can set daily screen time limits, approve or block apps from the Play Store, and see where they are with the location sharing. It’ll also give you reports on how much time they spend in different apps.
Heads up though, it won’t let you read their texts or anything super invasive like the paid apps claim to do. And I think once they hit 13, they can choose to turn off supervision. But for the price of zero, it’s your best bet to start with. See if it covers what you need before even looking at the pricey options.