As of 2026, Google requires parental approval before any supervised child under 18 can remove Family Link supervision, even after turning 13. You’ll both receive a notification when a removal is requested, and supervision stays active until you explicitly agree to end it.
Key Takeaways
- Android parental controls are built around two free tools: Google Family Link (for remote supervision) and Digital Wellbeing (for on-device limits). They work best in combination.
- Family Link requires your child to have a Google Account and an Android device running version 6.0 or higher. Setup takes about 15 minutes.
- Once your child turns 13, they can request to remove supervision, but as of 2026 they need your explicit parental approval before it happens.
- Family Link does not monitor what happens inside social media apps, read messages, or filter explicit images. These are real gaps that built-in tools can’t close.
- For content filtering that works across every chatbot, social platform, and website, including new and untagged pages, a dedicated tool like Canopy works alongside Family Link to fill those gaps.
Android is the most widely used mobile platform on the planet, which means it’s almost certainly what your child’s first phone runs. Google has built a surprisingly capable set of free parental control tools into the platform, but they’re spread across multiple places and the defaults protect almost nothing. This guide walks through exactly what’s available, how to set it up, and where you’ll need to add a layer of protection.
The two tools you’ll be using are Google Family Link and Digital Wellbeing. They serve different purposes. Family Link is the remote supervision system: you manage it from your own phone and it lets you approve apps, set screen time limits, and see your child’s location. Digital Wellbeing lives on your child’s device and gives you (and them) visibility into which apps they’re spending time in. Together they handle the basics. Separately, neither is enough.
Setting Up Google Family Link
Family Link is free and built into Android. Before you start, you’ll need the Family Link app on your own phone (available for both Android and iPhone) and your child’s device must be running Android 6.0 or higher.
Step 1: Create your child’s Google Account
If your child is under 13, you’ll create the account for them through Family Link. Google won’t let children under 13 create their own account without parental consent. If they’re 13 or older and already have an account, you can add supervision to it instead.
Open the Family Link app on your phone, tap Create a Google Account for a child, and follow the prompts. You’ll choose their username, set a password, and verify your own identity. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Link their device
On your child’s Android phone, sign in with the child account you just created. Android will detect it’s a supervised account and prompt you to finish the Family Link connection. Accept the link from your parent device when the notification appears. If you’re setting up an existing device, go to Settings > Google > Parental controls and sign in with the child account there.
Step 3: Configure the core settings
Once linked, open Family Link on your phone and work through these settings for your child’s device:
- Screen time: Set a daily time limit (e.g., 2 hours) and a bedtime window when the device locks automatically. Both are under Controls > Screen time.
- App approvals: By default, your child needs your approval before downloading anything from the Play Store. Keep this on. You’ll get a notification for every request, and one tap approves or declines it.
- Content filters: Under Controls > Google Play, set the highest maturity level of content you want to allow. For most younger kids, this means setting apps/games to ‘Everyone’ or ‘Everyone 10+’ and blocking mature content in movies and books.
- Location: Family Link includes location sharing so you can see where your child’s device is from your phone. Enable it under Controls > Location.
- SafeSearch: You can lock SafeSearch on in Google Search and filter explicit results in Chrome under Account settings > Google services.
Digital Wellbeing: The On-Device Layer
Digital Wellbeing is a separate system that lives inside Settings on your child’s device. It’s less about remote supervision and more about visibility into how time is actually being spent. Think of it as the dashboard that makes screen time real to both of you.
Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls on the child’s device. The main dashboard shows a breakdown of screen time by app for the day. From here you can set individual app timers (so Instagram gets 30 minutes regardless of the overall daily limit), configure Focus mode to block distracting apps during homework time, and set up Wind Down to shift the screen to greyscale before bed.
When Family Link is active, some Digital Wellbeing settings are locked and can only be changed by a parent. This is intentional. It prevents a tech-savvy kid from simply disabling the controls from the device.
What Happens When Your Child Turns 13
This is worth knowing before your child hits that birthday. For years, Google automatically emailed children approaching 13 to let them know they could remove parental supervision. In early 2026, after significant parental backlash, Google reversed that policy.
Under the current policy: a child under 18 can request to remove Family Link supervision, but a parent must explicitly approve that request before it takes effect. You’ll both receive a notification, and the controls stay in place until you agree. According to Google’s own support documentation, parental approval is required until your child turns 18.
This means the supervision doesn’t automatically disappear at 13. But it does give your teenager more autonomy over their Google account settings over time, so reviewing what they can and can’t change on their own is worth doing as they get older.
What Android’s Built-In Controls Can’t Do
Family Link and Digital Wellbeing handle the fundamentals well. But there are real gaps parents should know about before assuming the device is fully covered.
|
Family Link cannot:
Google’s own support page notes: ‘Parental controls don’t prevent restricted content as a search result or through a direct link.’ |
The most meaningful gap for most families is content filtering. Family Link can block entire apps and categories, but it can’t analyze what’s inside an app or on a website. A child could have YouTube approved but still encounter explicit content through recommendations. They could access a browser Canopy doesn’t recognize and bypass filters entirely.
This is where layering in a dedicated content filter makes sense. Canopy works at the network level on Android, analyzing images and video in real time before they appear on screen, regardless of the website. It runs alongside Family Link rather than replacing it, so you keep the app approval and screen time controls while adding the content filtering layer that Google’s tools don’t provide.
Samsung Phones: Extra Controls Available
If your child has a Samsung Galaxy phone (running One UI), there’s an additional layer worth knowing about: Samsung Kids and Galaxy for Families. These sit on top of Family Link and Google’s tools, not instead of them.
Samsung Kids creates a simplified, locked-down mode designed for younger children. It restricts the device to a curated set of apps and prevents access to the broader Android system. It’s a good fit for a first phone for a child under 8 or 9 who doesn’t need the full Android experience yet.
Galaxy for Families is Samsung’s own supervision layer that mirrors some Family Link features but applies specifically to Samsung devices. If your family uses multiple Samsung devices, you can manage them together. For most families, Family Link covers what Galaxy for Families does, so there’s no need to set up both, but it’s worth knowing it exists.
For a full walkthrough of Samsung-specific options, see Canopy’s Samsung parental controls guide.
Android Parental Control Quick Reference
|
What you want to do |
Use this tool |
Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
|
Approve app downloads |
Google Family Link |
Family Link app > Controls > Google Play |
|
Set daily screen time limit |
Google Family Link |
Family Link app > Controls > Screen time |
|
Set per-app time limits |
Digital Wellbeing |
Settings > Digital Wellbeing > App timers |
|
Block device at bedtime |
Google Family Link |
Family Link app > Controls > Screen time > Bedtime |
|
Lock SafeSearch |
Google Family Link |
Family Link app > Account settings > Google services |
|
See location |
Google Family Link |
Family Link app > Controls > Location |
|
Block specific apps |
Google Family Link |
Family Link app > Controls > Apps > Block app |
|
Filter explicit content |
Canopy (third-party) |
canopy.us/parental-control-app/ |
|
Monitor for sexting / explicit images |
Canopy (third-party) |
canopy.us/parental-control-app/ |
The Setup That Works
Android’s built-in tools are a solid starting point and they’re free. Set up Family Link first, lock the Play Store, configure screen time limits, and turn on SafeSearch. That baseline takes maybe 20 minutes and handles the most common issues.
From there, be honest with yourself about what your child actually does on their phone. If they spend time on social media, use apps you haven’t heard of, or browse freely, Family Link’s content controls won’t catch much of that. That’s when layering in Canopy makes the setup genuinely comprehensive, covering the content filtering that Google’s tools leave open.
For the iOS equivalent of this guide, see Canopy’s iPhone parental controls guide. For platform-specific tips, Snapchat parental controls, YouTube parental controls, and how to block apps on Android go deeper on individual platforms.
20%
off
off
Canopy can protect your kids on Android, as well as on iOS, Windows, and Mac.
Get 20% off using code SAVE20
Android Parental Controls FAQ
Does Google Family Link work on iPhones?
No. Family Link supervises Android devices and Chromebooks only. If you’re a parent managing your child’s iPhone, you’ll need Apple’s Screen Time instead. Canopy works across both platforms and is a good option if your family uses a mix of Android and iPhone devices.
Can my child bypass Android parental controls?
The most common workaround is installing a different browser that isn’t filtered by SafeSearch, or sideloading apps outside the Play Store. Keeping app installs locked to Play Store approval and using a content filter that works at the network level rather than the browser level closes most of these gaps. Some kids also try changing the device’s date and time to bypass screen time limits, which is why locking Settings access is worth doing.
Is Google Family Link free?
Yes, completely free. Family Link is built into Android and managed through the free Family Link app, available on both Android and iOS for parents. There are no paid tiers or premium features.
Can Family Link see my child's text messages or social media chats?
No. Family Link shows app usage time and lets you block apps entirely, but it can’t read messages inside those apps. WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Snapchat, and similar platforms are invisible to Family Link at the content level. If monitoring messages is a priority, a dedicated monitoring tool is necessary.
How do I block a specific app on Android without deleting it?
In the Family Link app, go to your child’s profile, tap Controls, then Apps, and select the app you want to restrict. You can block it temporarily or permanently. The app stays installed but becomes inaccessible until you unblock it. Individual app timers in Digital Wellbeing are another option if you want to limit time rather than block entirely.
