Google Family Link Helps you Manage How Much Screen Time Your Children Get

This versatile app from Google lets you set digital rules for your child’s access to their smartphone, tablet or Chromebook.

The tech giant's latest offering seems to be part of a larger push to arm parents with the tools needed to help their kids cultivate healthier digital habits. Family Link is designed to provide parents with a digital management control panel for the entire family.

With tools to manage which apps your children have access to, monitor their digital history, help provide quality content for your entire family, etc.

How It Works

Initiating the app on your whole cluster of devices is pretty simple. First, a child/teen will need a compatible device (see which devices work with Family Link). Then, parents can start by downloading Family Link onto their own device (Android or iPhone).

If a child/teen already has an account, Family Link will walk their parent through linking their account to their child’s account.

As part of that process, the child/teen may also need to download the Family Link (Child/Teen) app on their phone to complete the process of linking the accounts.

Parents can also use Family Link to create a Google Account for their child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country). Once complete, children can sign-in to their device with their new account. Once the accounts are linked, parents can use Family Link to help them do things like keep an eye on screen time and manage the content they use.

Features

The Google Family Link app comes with many rich features to help get a complete view of your Child/teen's digital activities. The app also provides a whole host of tools to help manage their activities online as well.

View their activity

Not all screen time is the same. Help your child make healthy decisions about what they do on their device, with activity reports to show you how much time they are spending on each app.

Manage their apps

Quick and convenient notifications help you approve or block which apps your kid(s) are looking to download from the Google Play store. This feature gives parents deeper control on which apps their teens have on their devices.

Teacher-approved apps

Google Family Link also provides you with a list of teacher-approved apps you can download onto your child's mobile device. This feature allows you to provide quality app options for your teens.