Android phones & tablets parental controls
Family Link is capable and free, and the protection stops at the edge of Chrome and the Play Store.
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Straightforward
- Where
- The Family Link app on your phone
- Checked
- 2026-08
Recently changedFrom mid-2026 Google began rolling out an age-signals feature that shares your child’s age range with participating apps so they apply their own age-appropriate defaults. It is off until you opt in.
Before you start: Your own Google Account, and you must be over 18.
Do this
- Install Family Link and sign in with your own Google Account
- Add the child — create a new Google Account for an under-13, or add supervision to an existing teen account
- Open the Controls tab
- Set app approval, screen time, content filters and SafeSearch
The settings that matter
| Setting | Younger child | Teenager |
|---|---|---|
| App approvalYou approve every install before it happens. | On | On |
| Screen time and bedtimeDaily limits and a nightly lock. | Both | Bedtime is the one worth holding |
| Google Play content filtersCaps apps, games, films and books by rating. | Match their age | Set the ceiling and talk about exceptions |
| SafeSearch lockForces SafeSearch in Chrome on that account. | Locked | Locked |
What this does not do
- Filtering applies to Chrome. Another browser, if they can install one, is not covered.
- Content inside an approved app — the feed itself — is not filtered by Family Link.
- A device that was never supervised can be factory reset out of supervision.
What people get wrong
- Assuming the web filter covers every app. It covers Chrome, and Haven’s network layer is what covers the rest.
Checked against Google Family Link help
in 2026-08. Platforms change these settings often — if what you see does not match, the platform’s own
page is the authority, and we would be glad to be told.