How to Set up and Use Family Link, Google’s Parental Control App

Posted on December 17, 2018 by resourcefulman

Google has added screen time and app control to the Chrome OS version of its Family Link parental control app, so you can now remotely control and track your child on laptops and tablets running the OS, as well as on any Android device. running Android 5.1 or higher.

We’ll show you how to set up Google Family Link for any Android device, as well as how to use all the basic control features, including the new time and app management feature available to Chrome OS users.

First of all, a couple of things should be noted:

Certain types of your child’s accounts (such as school accounts) cannot be managed using Family Link.
Parental controls only apply to Google accounts owned by users under a certain age , and Google allows children over a certain age to opt out of parental controls (for example, children age 13 and older in the United States may opt out of Family Link parental controls.).

Set up Family Link Supervision on Chromebooks and other devices

Warning. Parental Controls block child users from accessing devices running Android versions prior to Android 5.1, and some Family Link features are only available on devices running Android 6.0 or later. We recommend that you update all devices to the latest available version of Android to ensure full compatibility.

If you haven’t already, you need to download and install the Google Family Link app for kids and teens on the device (s) you want to control, as well as the Family Link app that you will be managing your account from.
In the Family Link app, select the Google account you want to link as your “parent.”
Click ” Add” to add a new management account.
You will be asked if your child has a Google account. If they do, click Yes and enter your credentials. If they don’t have their own Google account, you can create one in the Family Link app by clicking No in this step and then following the onscreen instructions to create an account.
After adding your child’s account, you will be prompted to find your child’s device. Click Next and you will be given a nine-digit code to pair their device.
On your child’s device, open the Google Family Link for Kids and Teens app and follow the onscreen instructions.
When prompted on your child’s device, enter the nine-digit code from step 5 and wait until the pairing is established between the devices. After that, read the final information on the screen before you finish.

Repeat steps 3 through 7 for any other accounts or devices you want to add to Family Link.

With your child’s Google account set up and their devices linked, it’s time to create screen restrictions, app restrictions, and activity monitors.

Setting the screen time limit and device lock

Family Link takes some of the stress of managing your child’s screen time by helping you automatically lock your child’s device in various situations. (You can still manually control what they access, don’t worry.)

Locked devices do not open or display notifications. However, a locked phone can still be used to receive incoming calls and emergency phone calls.

Set daily time limits

In your child’s account settings, go to Daily Limit> Change Limits and set the amount of time your child can use devices each day.

This number applies to all the devices they use, so if they have a phone and a laptop, and a daily limit of 2 hours, that means they can use both devices for two hours each.

Set bedtime

Open their account settings in the Family Link app, click Change under the Bedtime card and set the time. Your child will be locked out of any devices connected to their account every day before bed.

Lock or unlock your child’s device remotely

Open your child’s Family Link account settings, then click Block or Unblock under their device. You can also use the parental code to unlock a locked device that is not connected to the Internet.

Application restrictions

Family Link gives parents granular control over the specific apps their child can use. To manage your child’s use of the app in the Family Link app, select the account you want to manage (note: most of these steps can also be done on the Google Family Link website ). From here, you can do the following:

Block / Allow Apps

On the Apps screen , tap More . Tap the app you want to control and enable or disable Allow App . Repeat these steps for each application you want to change.

Change app permissions

Go to Device> View Settings> App Permissions and select the types of permissions to edit. To select Parents Only, parents must grant the app permission to access this feature / setting, and Child & Parents allows kids to grant permissions to the app. Note that this only applies to future permission requests – changing a previously accepted or rejected permission request from an already installed app can only be done from the app’s settings menu.

Filter mature media / applications

Go to Settings> Control> Control in Google Play> Apps, Games, Movies & TV. Change the content limit to the maturity level you want. In the Music & Books section, you can enable or disable explicit content.

View application activity history

If you want to keep track of the apps your child uses, you can set up Family Link to track your child’s app activity. In the Family Link app, select the child’s account, then go to App History> Set Up to turn it on. Your child’s app usage history will appear in the App Actions menu after a few hours.

Confirmation of purchase and download from the Google Play Store

You can request approval for Google Play apps, media and in-app transactions from my Google Play account page . Go to Family Group, then click the account of the family member you want to manage and choose one of the following options:

All content (requires approval for all downloads, including free content and apps)
All paid content (approval required when purchasing paid apps and media, but not free downloads)
In-app purchases only (requires approval only when trying to buy in-app or game products such as Fortnite or Pokemon Go; all other purchases are allowed)
No confirmation required (you will not receive purchase / download notifications)

Approvals can be made through the Google Play Store webpage or in the Google Play app from the parent Family Link device. The parent account will also receive an email receipt of all approved downloads / purchases, if applicable.

Web Filters and Search Filters

Controlled child accounts have limited access to Google Chrome; They cannot use incognito mode or access Google Play or the Chrome Web Stores, and parents can remotely control their child’s web browsing and Google searches through the Family Link app or website.

Please be aware that you cannot remotely access your child’s browser or Google search history due to data privacy laws. You will need to check their browser history right on their device.

Block or Allow Websites

Select your child’s account in the Family Link app, then go to Settings> Manage Settings> Manage Sites> Approved or Blocked.
Click Add Exception , then enter the address or domain you want to block. Blocking an address will block only that particular page, and blocking a domain (eg facebook.com) will block all pages it contains.
Once you’ve created your blocked / allowed websites lists, you can apply them by going to Settings> Manage Settings> Filters in Google Chrome. You will be able to customize the following filters:

Allow All Sites: Access to all sites except blocked sites .
Try to block adult sites: Chrome will try to block any potentially explicit sites / content (Google warns that there is no perfect filter)
Allow only specific sites: Only sites that you specifically allow will be available.

Google Safe Search

Go to Settings> Manage Settings> Filters in Google Search.
Enabling or disabling Safe Search

You can also turn off Google Search entirely by going to Manage Settings> Android Apps > Google, then tapping Off. Next to the Search option. You can also change this setting on the Family Link website under Android Apps> Required .

What not to do with Google Family Link

Due to data privacy laws and technological capabilities, users who manage a child’s account cannot:

Mirror your child’s screen
Remotely access your child’s Chrome browser history or your child’s Google search history
View or reset your child’s Google account password
Read your child’s emails or messages
Hear your child’s phone calls
Choose a new password to lock the screen on your child’s device
Delete data from your child’s device

In addition, if your child is 13 years of age or older (or whatever is the minimum age for creating a Google account in your country), you will also not be able to:

Delete your child’s account
Don’t let your child turn off parental supervision restrictions

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