Setting up parental controls on Android with Family Link

Getting your kid their first phone is a pretty big deal. And while they’re probably the most excited they’ve ever been in their entire life, you’re likely a tad anxious about the whole ordeal. Smartphones are powerful tools capable of incredible things, but they also come with potential safety risks. Fortunately, the parental controls Android phones offer are built into their settings, allowing you to conveniently manage and monitor what your child is doing on their phone. You can view their activity, restrict access to certain apps, limit screen time and track their location. Google calls this set of features “Family Link,” and they’re easy to set up and easy to use, as this blog will show you.

How to set up Family Link

Family Link is a parental control feature provided by Google that is set up on your kid’s phone AND your phone, so you can manage and monitor their activity from anywhere. You and your kid each need your own Google account to get started. Then, just follow these steps:

1. Open the settings on your kid’s phone
2. Scroll down and select “Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls”
3. Scroll to the bottom and select “Set up Parental Controls”
4. Select “Get started” and choose “Child or teen” when asked who is using this phone
5. Read over the next steps and tap “Next”
6. Select “Add or create account for your child” and enter your kid’s Google account info
7. Repeat these steps on your phone, selecting “Parent” when asked who will be using it, to link your Google accounts and manage the parental controls from your phone

How to manage content on Android phones with Family Link

You can restrict certain content from sites, search results and other Google apps using Family Link:

1. Launch Family Link and go into the Controls tab
2. Select “Content Restrictions”
3. Choose the app you wish to set restrictions for and follow the instructions on the screen

Note: If you wish to restrict content within specific non-Google apps (like TikTok), you’ll have to do that within the app’s own parental controls settings. 

How to manage app downloads with Family Link

With Family Link, your kid will need your permission to download any new apps to their phone. When they find an app they want to download in the app store and click “Install,” it will ask them if they’d like to request permission from you in a message or in person. If they select “Ask in a message,” you’ll receive a notification on your phone with the option to approve or deny the app installation on their phone. If they select “Ask in person,” you will have to enter your password on their phone directly and click “Approve.”  

How to set app limits on Android phones with Family Link

Want to let your kid play their favorite mobile game, but only for an hour a day? Family Link allows you to set time limits on specific apps, or block them entirely:

1. Open Family Link and go into the Controls tab
2. Select “App limits” then scroll down and select the app you wish to limit
3. Choose “Set limit” and follow the instructions to create a time limit for this app
   1. You can also choose “Block” here to block the app entirely, or “Always allow” to remove any limits from the app
4. Tap “Done”

How to lock a phone with Family Link

You can instantly lock your kid’s phone in Family Link, or set it to lock automatically after a certain time:

1. Open Family Link and go into the Controls tab
2. Tap “Lock” next to your kid’s device name at the top of the screen to lock it immediately
3. If you want your kid’s phone to lock automatically after a certain amount of usage time, select “Change for today” under Daily limit
   1. You can also set their daily limit for each day of the week ahead of time by choosing “Edit weekly schedule” 
4. If you want your kid’s phone to lock automatically when the clock strikes a specific time, you can select “Change for today” under Downtime
   1. This can also be scheduled ahead of time for the entire week by choosing “Edit weekly schedule”

How to monitor your child’s location with Family Link

Knowing where your kid is at all times is critical. You can keep track of where they are using Family Link, and be notified when they arrive at certain locations:

1. Open Family Link and go into the Locations tab to see where your kid’s phone is currently located
2. Drag the menu up from the bottom and select “Family places”
3. From here, you can choose “Add home” to save your home address, “Add school” to enter their school address, or “New place” for something else, like a friend’s house or Aunt Judy’s apartment
4. Once you’ve saved an address under “Family places,” you’ll receive a notification whenever your kid arrives at or leaves that place 

How to add a passcode for Google Play

Beyond the app restrictions available in Family Link you can also keep your kid from downloading unwanted apps by locking the Google Play Store with a PIN:

1. Open Google Play
2. Tap the profile icon in the top right corner and select “Settings”
3. Open the Family section and select “Parental controls” 
4. Toggle the switch ON and create a PIN
5. After you hit “OK” you’ll be able to set restrictions for each type of content available in the Google Play Store

How to block apps on Android phones

You can also block existing apps on an Android phone by creating a restricted user profile for your kid:

1. Go into the phone’s settings and select “Accounts and backup”
2. Tap on “Users” and select “Add user or profile”
3. Follow the on-screen instructions and when prompted, select “Restricted profile”
4. Create a security PIN and then toggle OFF on any apps for which you don’t want this new profile to have access

Congrats – you’re now an Android parental controls expert

As you can see, Android phones, along with Google’s Family Link, can provide peace of mind when it comes to managing and monitoring your kid’s smartphone usage. Setting rules and restrictions is important for your kid’s online safety and wellbeing. At Mint Mobile, we also understand the importance of making sure your kid’s phone, and their wireless service, is reliable. We have a blog all about the best phones for kids that can help, and when you’re ready to get them their own number too, we offer affordable phone plans for kids to go with it.