Google Family Link is a parental controls app that helps you keep your family safer online. Every family’s relationship with technology is unique, so we built tools for you to choose the right balance for your family, and help them create healthy digital habits. You can use the app to see how your child is spending time on their device, see their device location, manage privacy settings, and more.
With Family Link, you can:
Establish digital ground rules
• Set screen time limits — Find the screen time that works best for your child. Family Link lets you set daily time limits, with school time and downtime schedules for their devices, so you can help your child find a healthy balance.
• Manage your child’s apps — Give your child the flexibility they need when it comes to app usage. Set individual app time limits, and unlimited time for educational or regularly used apps. You can block apps, too.
Manage content filters and security & privacy
• Manage what they see online — Set up parental controls on Google services like Chrome, Play, YouTube, and Search. Family Link allows you to block inappropriate sites, require approval for new apps, manage permissions for apps and websites, and more.
• Secure their account — Family Link gives you access to manage your child’s account and data settings. As a parent, you can help change or reset your child’s password if they forget it, edit their personal information or even delete their account if you feel necessary.*
*Children over the applicable age can manage their own account.
Stay connected on the go
• See where they are — It’s helpful to be able to find your family when they’re on the go. With Family Link, you can locate your children on one map, as long as they’re carrying their device.
• Get notifications and alerts — Family Link delivers critical notifications including when your child arrives or leaves a certain location. You can also ring devices and view the device’s remaining battery life.
Important Information
• Family Link’s tools vary depending on your child’s device. See a list of compatible devices at https://families.google/familylink/device-compatibility/
• While Family Link helps you manage your child’s purchases and downloads from Google Play, they will not need approval to install app updates (including updates that expand permissions), apps you have previously approved, or apps that have been shared in Family Library. In addition, purchase approvals will apply only when your child makes a purchase through Google Play’s billing system and will not apply to purchases made through alternate billing systems. Parents should regularly review their child’s installed apps and app permissions in Family Link.
• You should carefully review the apps on your child’s supervised device and disable those you don’t want them to use. Note that you may not be able to disable some pre-installed apps such as Play, Google, etc.
• To see the location of your child or teen’s device, the device must be powered on, recently active, and connected to the internet through data or wifi.
• Family Link parental controls are only available for supervised Google accounts. With supervised Google Accounts, children get access to Google products like Search, Chrome, and Gmail, and parents can set up basic digital ground rules to supervise them.
• While Family Link provides tools to manage your child’s online experience and keep them safer online, it does not make the internet safe. Family Link can not determine the content on the internet, but it can give parents the opportunity to make decisions about how their child spends time on their device, and determine what path to online safety looks best for your family.
Amazing app to help you keep track of your kids screen time
Poppyseed1122
I downloaded this app when I set up my toddlers device(after setting up their email account, so it automatically created the family link which is honestly pretty cool) and it’s helped so much in teaching them the rules we have for screen time. Being able to lock the device when it’s time to be done has helped with the time management and has helped create a schedule that works well for us, because once the device is locked my toddler immediately starts working on a different activity outside of the screen. Previously, switching activities was a bit difficult because they’d be locked onto whatever it was they were doing but having a visual sign that it’s time to be done helps them switch that part of their brain off and turn to something else. I honestly dont know how I never heard of this app before now
No
true facts here
I see a lot of self centered parents in these reviews. I recommend finding a moreproactive way of keeping your kids safe. I see a lot of reasons this app would be helpful. But snooping through messages is not it. Children need privacy to grow. This app allows way too much control. Moderate control is what we need. But complete control over your child is ABSOLUTELY absurd. This just opens a whole other level of parental control, and makes it easy to do. Which just makes the next step easier to do! The next step being? Abuse. Don't be surprised when your child doesn't share important things with you. You may wonder why. But it's a simple answer. YOU forced them to share their personal information. What makes you think they'll want to share it willingly? You forcefully share their phone data to you. But what about the rest of their personal information? The information that isn't on a phone? I would argue that the information NOT on your phone is way more vital to your child's well-being. They're not going to share that with you. Not after you force them to share all the data on their phone 24/7. You can hide your mental health from this app. Just don't text about it. Your child is obviously not sharing their mental issues with you. I mean you downloaded this, they obviously won't trust you. But let's just take away the ability for them to text their friends (the only ones they trust) when their feeling sad! Am i right! This app SCREAMS "i don't trust you". Why would they trust you if you don't trust them? Disgusting, and quite literally vile.
You don’t need this app, you need better communication.
Bobagirl***
Hi parents!!! As somebody who doesn’t have this app on their phone anymore, but used to, I wanna give you some of my perspective on this app. I understand that you care about your children’s safety and that’s amazing! But this is NOT the way to keep them safe. First of all, I’d like you to put yourself in their shoes for a moment, how would THEY feel??? Because from experience I know, this only makes them act out more. They get better at hiding it, but this app does seriously no favors for your child OR their behavior. This literally breaks all trust that your child has in you. If you think you need this app, you don’t. You need to have a conversation with your kids about internet safety, and some OCCASIONAL checks of their device, nothing too invasive, just a simple scan to make sure nothing sketchy is going on. But this app is incredibly invasive and genuinely feels suffocating. Please never get this app, your children's trust in you will be shattered. Plus, it has so many glitches anyway, it’s super slow too. (That might just be my wifi, but you get the point.) This app may turn their phone on and off when you please, but trust is hard to turn back on after turning it off. Please, you don’t need this app. You need to have a conversation with your kids about being safe on the internet. If you are REALLY concerned, like I said, do a general check of their phone. Even then, if you find something sketchy. TALK. TO. THEM. ABOUT. IT!!!! YOU. DONT. NEED. THIS. APP.
Family Link is a Trap
plz read devs 😘
I made a google account many years ago when I was at the age where I needed a guardian account to link with it. I didn’t actually use the account very much then, but now, many years later where I am way beyond the age where I need a supervised account I have it linked with other software accounts. Now family link doesn’t allow me to basically do anything and me and my mom have been trying for the past week to get this wretched curse off of our accounts. We have iPhones so Im not sure if it works better with androids. Google family link is unremovable if you are on iPhone. No tutorial, no link, no tech support can help you remove this binding. I can’t even log in to family link through my “child” account because the page refreshes every time. Can someone PLEASE tell me why this is happening and how to fix it?? DONT USE FAMILY LINK PLEASE!!! P.S. : It may seem pathetic that the review about a restriction app is coming from the person being restricted but the only reason my mom didn’t write this review is because she doesn’t want anything to do with it. We are both so unsatisfied and still can’t lift the lock on both of our accounts. She can’t remove family link because I’m above 13 yet I still have restrictions!!!! Why can’t I change my age? Awful app and software.
New simplified design and screen time tab.
Version 2.79.38376
The developer, Google, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Financial Info
Location
Contact Info
Contacts
User Content
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Other Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Search History
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
This app has an age rating of 4+ with content restrictions. Some content may be rated higher, but access is managed by the developer through in-app controls.
