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.
This app is really good! First my sister would watch like a billion hours on her tab, but when I found this app, everything changed, at first my sister would wake at 5.30 before school and start watching .without getting ready now she has to come home then it unlocks but the issue is I go to work my sister calls me and says she’s done with her h.w but when I unlock it says something went wrong but when she’s near me it unlocks fast. But the best part is that first my sister would open my phone and open her tab from family link but after I found out I put on a pin and now it’s peace and quiet at. My house! Awe#ome app
A bit disappointing
misspettitt
I like being able to manage my kids screen time, but my eldest has upgraded from a tablet to a phone and because he is under 13 (only just), it won’t let him use the text function on the phone. This is really poor functioning as I gave him a phone specifically so he can call or text if he’s out and needs to contact me. When I tried to change his gear of birth to put him in the higher age range, Family Link said he needs to be UNDER 13 to be on Family Link. Does this mean when he turns 13 he’s got full access to everything? Looks like a few things weren’t considered when developing this app. While I understand some parents might not want their kids to have access to texting, there should at least be an option to unlock it. Short of factory resetting the phone or deleting his google account entirely (which the warning message said may cause his device to become unusable), I don’t know how to rectify it.
Dear parents
TirrannaG
I know you want to restrict what you’re children are looking at and the amount of time they spend on their screens but I would just like you consider the affect on your children for a obvious start if you restrict there screen time they will become sneaky and find ways around it and they become very disconnected from you because they’re always sneaking around screen time rules second limiting their screen time can actually make them more addicted because they will savour every single second of screen time they can get and finally it is really bad for their mental health okay I know this one is controversial but I know a lot of people myself included that can only reach out for help over text and restricting essentially their help line you increase the chances of bad things happening when they have to suffer in silence please reconsider before putting this on your children’s devices
Terrible App
XuefungC
This app is terrible. I originally used this family link to help my children set up their own emails. Now that they have grown up, I want to delete the family group. However, it is impossible. I have searched around multiple different methods from even Google’s own help page. Yet none of these methods worked. I do not have any buttons or options available that each method references. My children cannot log in to their own extra emails nor can they leave the family group themselves despite being over 13 years old each. This app does not allow you to leave and has missing buttons. It is full of bugs and does help me at all. I would not recommend this app as I have been trying for months to remove my children’s accounts with no success. This app is terrible and should not be used as once established, is very hard to remove or take down.
New simplified design and screen time tab.
Version 2.95.44751
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
