Google Family Link in plain words: screen time and app limits for children
How Google Family Link helps a parent set screen time, bedtime and app approvals on a child's Android phone, in plain words.
Google Family Link is a free app from Google that lets a parent guide a child's Android phone from their own phone. You can set daily screen time, a bedtime, approve app installs and see which apps are used. It works best when you explain the rules to your child first, and not as secret watching.
Steps
- Install Family Link on the parent phone. Install Family Link from the Play Store on your own phone and sign in with your Google account. Follow its prompts to create a child account, or to add an existing child account that you supervise.
- Set up the child's phone. On the child's phone, sign in with the child account and accept the supervision request. Menu names differ slightly on Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme and OnePlus phones, so follow the on-screen prompts.
- Set daily screen time and bedtime. In Family Link, open the child's profile and look for Daily limit and Bedtime. Choose a limit for school days and one for holidays. The phone locks when time is up.
- Approve or block apps. Turn on approvals for new apps from the Play Store, so you see each request on your phone. You can also set time limits for single apps, or block one you do not want.
- Filter content. Set the Play Store content rating to suit your child's age, and use the available web filters in Chrome and search. No filter is perfect, so keep talking about what they see.
- Review and adjust together. Check the weekly activity with your child, not behind their back. Praise good habits, and relax limits as they grow older. A review every month keeps the rules fair.
Menu names differ a little between phone makers and Android versions. If you cannot find a setting, open Settings and use the search box.
Why it matters
Children can lose hours to games and videos, and they will meet apps that you have never heard of. Family Link gives you a calm, shared way to set limits and approve new apps. It works best as a conversation starter. Tools help, but a trusting child is a safer child.
Watch out for
- Older children can find ways around limits, so talk openly.
- Do not use limits as a punishment alone.
- Features and age rules can change, so check the app.
- Keep your own Google password private.
How Safeavio helps
Safeavio's Family features include a private end-to-end encrypted family chat, family location with safe places, SOS and a family alerts summary. A parent sets up the family and children's phones need no account. Safeavio does not set screen time, so use Family Link or your phone's own controls for that.
Check it before you tap or pay
Safeavio Sentinel is a made-in-India Android app: paste a message or link, or scan a QR code, and get a plain verdict with the reasons. It helps you spot a scam; it does not promise to stop every one.
Download for AndroidWhat the app does
Google Play listing: coming soon. Today the signed APK is on safeavio.com/download. Android 7.0 or later.
Questions
Is Family Link free?
Family Link is a free app from Google. Features and the age at which a child can manage their own account can change over time, so read what the app says on your phone when you set it up.
Can my child remove Family Link?
Supervision on a child's account cannot be removed without the parent's approval for younger children. Older teens may be able to stop supervision, which is why open talks work better than strict locks.