Family Link lets a parent manage a child's Google account and supervised devices: apps, daily screen time, bedtimes, Play content limits, location on Android or Fitbit devices, and Chrome filtering. It has gaps. Google says iPhones, iPads and most computers cannot be supervised through it.
What parents can do
From Google's getting started page, a parent can:
- Create a Google Account for a child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country), or add supervision to an existing account.
- Manage apps and set daily screen time limits and bedtimes.
- Block or allow apps and grant bonus time.
- Check the location of a child's Android or Fitbit device.
- Restrict mature content on Google Play.
Requirements: the parent is 18 or older with a Google Account, uses a supported device (Android 6.0 or later, iOS 16 or later, or a compatible Chromebook) and lives in the same country as the child. Family Link may not be available in all countries.
Chrome controls
Google's Chrome page says parents can choose a filter level, including "Try to block explicit sites", allow all sites, or allow only approved ones. They can allow or block specific sites or whole domains, approve or deny a request to visit a blocked site, and control whether sites may ask for location, camera or microphone. On Chromebooks, parents can also block extensions from the Chrome Web Store. Incognito mode is turned off for signed-in children.
Where the gaps are
This is the part families miss.
- Google says iPhones, iPads and non-Chromebook computers cannot be supervised through Family Link as devices.
- On Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad, a child can sign out of Chrome or use another browser, and the Family Link settings then do not apply.
- On iPhone and iPad, only camera and microphone permissions can be controlled, not location.
- School accounts that use Google Workspace for Education cannot be managed with Family Link.
Mixed households
If your child has an Android phone and a family laptop, set controls on the phone and use an operating system account on the laptop. If your child uses an iPhone, the Apple tools do that job; see the Screen Time checklist.
Controls on one device leave the others open, so decide as a family what is allowed on every screen, not only the supervised one.
Quick check
Will Family Link filter a different browser on a laptop?
Google says on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and iPad a child can use another browser, and then Family Link settings do not apply.
Can I manage my child's school Google account with it?
Google says Google Workspace for Education accounts cannot be managed through Family Link.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
