When you use the Family Link app with Google Kids Space, you can manage your child’s activity on Google Kids Space remotely and have a wider range of options. You can also manage other non-Google Kids Space devices with Family Link, as long as the child is set up as part of your family.
When you make changes to your child’s account settings in Family Link, they are reflected on your child’s devices.
Requirements
To use Family Link to manage your child’s Google Account, you need to:
- Have a Google Account. If you don’t have one, you can create a Google Account without charge.
- Be 18 years and above, or the appropriate age in your country.
- Have any of these devices:
- Android device with version 5.0 or later.
- iPhone or iPad with iOS 13 or later.
- Chromebook that supports Android apps to download the Family Link app on. You can also manage some settings at g.co/YourFamily.
- Live in the same country as your child.
To use Family Link to supervise your child’s device, the child needs to:
- Have a Google Account.
- Have any of these devices:
Get the Family Link app
You can get the Family link app from the Play Store or Apple Store.
Set up key features
Set screen time limits- On your device, open Family Link
.
- Select your child.
- At the bottom center, tap Controls
.
- Select if you want to:
- Set up daily time limits for the first time: Under “Daily limit,” tap Set up. Then, select the hours and minutes you want to set for the limit.
- Change today’s limit with a parent’s device: Under “Daily limit,” tap Change for today. Then, select the hours and minutes you want to set for the limit. You can also turn the limit off.
- Edit the weekly limit schedule with a parent’s device: Under “Daily limit,” tap Edit weekly schedule. Then, select the days you want to limit screen time. You can also turn the weekly schedule off.
- When prompted, tap Done.
Tips:
- You can edit the weekly schedule and change the limit on any selected day. To apply the time limit to either "All days" or "Monday–Friday," tap Also apply to.
- If your child has multiple devices, to display all devices, tap Show more.
To set daily limits with your child's device:
- On your child's device, open Settings
- On Android version 8.1 and later, tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
- On other Android versions, tap Google
Parental controls
- Select if you want to:
- Find the current settings: Tap Daily limit.
- Edit the Daily limit settings: Sign in or use your Parent Access Code to verify that you're a parent.
Tip: Daily limits apply to each Android device or Chromebook your child uses. For example, if you set a daily limit of 2 hours, your child gets 2 hours of time on each device.
Once the device is connected to the internet, the app gets blocked or unblocked in about 5 minutes. If your child uses the app at the time you block it, they get a one minute warning to finish up before the app is blocked. The app is blocked on all of your child's Android devices or Chromebooks.
Important: Some apps can't be blocked because they're required for parent supervision settings to work, or for your child's device to work.
- On your device, open Family Link
- Select your child.
- Tap Controls
- Select the name of the app you want to block.
- Tap Block
If you're a parent, you can find your child's Android device location in the Family Link app.
- On your device, open Family Link
- Tap Location
- If you have multiple children, select which ones you want to turn on location sharing for.
- Tap Turn on.
Manage Google Kids Space settings on Family Link
Important: Parental management of kids through Family Link may happen specifically in the Google Kids Space section of Family Link. However, the content or app settings elsewhere in Family Link also impact kids’ Google Kids Space experience. For example, if you set a time limit on an app in the Google Kids Space section, it reflects in the app limits section of Family Link as well.
- On your device, open Family Link
- Select your child.
- Tap Controls
Select which settings you want to update
Allow or block apps that recommend books & videosTo allow or deny Google Play Books and YouTube Kids:
- In the Google Kids Space settings of the Family Link app, select your child’s name.
- Turn Allow app on or off.
Tip: You can control the storage allowance that’s allowed per app in your device settings. Under “Apps & notifications,” tap Permission manager to manage permissions for storage on Books and Camera, and microphone on YouTube Kids.
You can manage apps on your child’s device and choose which other device apps to allow access to from within the app, like the calculator or camera.
Important: Parents can choose which other device apps to allow or block at any time. Some apps aren't available on Google Kids Space.
- In the Google Kids Space settings of the Family Link app, tap the app you want to manage.
- Select what you want to do:
- Block
- Set limit
- Always allow
You can choose to allow your child to install Google Kids Space recommended apps specially selected for kids their age, or you can choose to review each app before it's installed. To approve each app before it's downloaded, enter your password or approve requests in Family Link on your device. Apps previously downloaded or shared through the Family Library won't require additional approvals.
You can choose to hide recommended apps with ads. This limits future app recommendations by Google Kids Space to only include those apps with no ads. If you select this option it limits the number of recommended apps. This setting doesn't affect apps with ads that were previously installed on the device. In Family Link, you can check which apps that have ads are available to your child and you can choose to block those apps.
Tip: To manage individual apps with ads and in-app purchases, in Family Link, tap Manage Apps with ads and in-app purchases.