Google knows that it is important for you to understand what personal information. Google collects in association with your child’s Google account. why Google collects it and how you can update, manage, export and delete that information. This Privacy Notice and the Google Privacy Policy explain your privacy practices for your child’s Google account. To the extent that there are terms that conflict, such as with respect to the limitations of personalized advertising, the Privacy Notice controls.
This Privacy Notice does not apply to the practices of third-party applications, actions or websites (other than Google) that your child may use. You should review the applicable terms and policies for third-party applications, actions and sites to determine your suitability for your child, including data collection and usage practices.
Controlling your child’s digital adventures can be a challenge. Concerns about how much screen time is safe and if phones are killing the art of conversation are common. Limiting the amount of time they spend on their various devices, keeping track of what they are doing and preventing them from doing something they shouldn’t, are difficult tasks. Fortunately, you can ask for help and it doesn’t have to cost you anything.
Google’s Family Link service, designed for parents of children and teenagers, gives you control over almost every aspect of your child’s digital experience. You can approve or block applications and games that you want to download from the Google Play Store, see how much time your children spend on their favorite applications, remotely block their devices, filter some types of content and even track their location. Let’s take a closer look at how to get started.
- Manage your child’s access to what your children can discover online
- Use your child’s account settings in Google Assistant
Children with their own account can log in to Assistant-enabled devices, managed with Family Link. They get their own personalized assistant experience as well they can access games, activities and stories designed for families. Children cannot make transactions, and parents can decide if their children have access to third-party experiences in the Assistant.
- Manage your child’s access to websites with Chrome
You can manage your child’s access to websites when you are using the Chrome browser on their Android or Chrome OS device. You can choose to limit your child only to the websites you feel comfortable with or block specific sites that you do not want them to visit.
- Block explicit sites in Google Search with Safe Search filters
As part of Family Link, you can use Safe Search settings on phones, tablets and laptops. This setting is designed to block explicit videos, images, and websites from Google Search results in order to avoid pornography and graphic violence, although it is not 100% accurate. The Safe Search setting is enabled by default for users who are logged in under age 13 (or the age applicable in your country), who have accounts managed by Family Link, but parents can chose to turn it off. Find applications developed with families in mind.
- Use Family Link to manage the applications your child can use
Not all applications are suitable for all children. With Family Link, you can filter applications in the Google Play Store to allow your child to explore only applications with a rating that you think appropriate. You can also receive a notification on your device that allows you to approve or block applications that your child wants to download from the Google Play Store.
To help you decide which pieces of content or entertainment may be right for your child, look for the family star badge on Google Play. The star of the family means that they have been through more careful reviews and that they have developed with families in mind. You can also review itss content ratings, permissions and if it contains ads or purchases or in-app purchase.
We also want to help parents manage the quality of time in front of the screen, not just the quantity of time in front of the screen. That is why we have integrated functions within Family Link that help you to discover nutritious content, with recommendations from real teachers so that your children can enjoy quality content with which you feel good.
- Manage and secure your child’s account
With Family Link, your child’s activity controls, like the ones you have, allow you to decide what activity is saved and who manages your child’s Google account when you use our services.
As a parent, you can help change or reset your child’s password if you forget it. You can also edit your child’s personal information or even delete your account if you feel necessary. They cannot add another profile to their account or device without your permission. Finally, you can check to see the location of your Android device (whenever it is on, connected to the Internet and recently active).
- Set up an account
Family Link is now available in at least 30 countries, including the USA and the United Kingdom, as well as in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Finland, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, France, Italy, Japan , Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. You can start on the Family Link website, but there are some prerequisites.
Before you can use Family Link, the requirements are:
- A Google account for your child (you can create it within the Family Link app if you don’t have one yet)
- An Android device for your child running Android 7.0 Nougat or later (some devices with Android 5.0 and 6.0 also work)
- Your own Android device (with Android 4.4 KitKat or later) or iOS device (with iOS 9 or later).
- Your own Google account
Family Link does not support account in Google provided through work or school: you need a personal Google account, such as a Gmail account, to create an account for your child.
Note: While you can use the Family Link application on an iPhone as a parent to review your child’s activity on an Android device, it does not work if your child has an iPhone. If your child uses an iPhone, then you will want to see Apple’s Screen Time and Family Sharing instead.
On your personal device, download the Family Link app for Android or iOS from the Google Play Store. In Android 10, Google has incorporated Family Link in the main settings, so you can go to Settings> Digital wellbeing and parental controls and configure it there.
Tap the plus icon in the upper right corner to add your child to the family group and then follow the instructions on the screen. You should verify that you give your parental consent. You may be able to do this with the details of your own Google account or you may be asked to use a credit card. This will generally result in a temporary authorization and no fees will be charged, but sometimes in the USA., there may be a 30 cents fee.
Per device, there is a limit of one Family Link account. When you add a child’s profile, Google will automatically try to select the appropriate settings based on their age, but it is worth dipping and making sure that everything is set up the way you want.
How to filter content
Once you have successfully added your child, you will want to touch your profile in the Family Link application and touch Manage settings to decide what content they can access and what filters should be applied. There are sections for Google Play, Google Chrome, Google Search, Google Assistant, Android apps, Location, Account information and more.
If you tap Filters for Google Chrome, you can choose Try blocking mature sites, which will attempt to block violence or sexually explicit content, or deepen and only allow certain sites by creating a list of approved websites. This last option also allows your child to request access to specific sites.
You must also go to Filters in Google Search and activate SafeSearch on. Once again, Google warns that it cannot guarantee that everything you would prefer your child not to see will be filtered, but it seems a pretty decent job.
How to manage access to your child’s application
One of the best features of Family Link is its ability to help you manage the applications your children download and use. When you try to download an application from the Play Store, you will receive a pop-up notification that contains the name of the application, the application editor, the average star rating and the number of accumulated downloads.
Importantly, you will also see a maturity rating based on the content ratings of the Entertainment Software Classification Board (ESRB). Applications such as Google Maps get “G” ratings, for example, while slightly higher pitch titles get “E” (for those over six or older) or “T” (for those over ages 13). The maturity rating system may differ from one country to another, for example, in the United Kingdom you will see instead pan-European game information (PEGI) ratings. Armed with both the application information and the maturity rating, you can decide whether to approve or reject the installation.
You can change the approval process and rules and control what your child can navigate in the Google Play Store through the Family Link app on their profile by touching Manage Settings> Controls in Google Play.
However, approving application downloads is not the limit of Family Link’s capabilities. Once an application is installed on your child’s device, you can control their permissions. You can deny Facebook application access to the camera and device contacts, for example, or prevent a game from connecting to the Internet. To do this, go to Manage Settings> Android Apps and tap an application, then tap Permissions. If you change your mind about an application and want to allow or block it, go to Manage Settings> Android Applications, touch the application in question and enable or disable Allow application.
While you can approve each application individually, it is certainly not necessary. Family Link allows you to set general content restrictions (that is, nothing above “G”) to download or purchase applications, games, movies, TV, music and books. You can also create restrictions for in-app purchases and paid content.
If you are in the USA., you will also see a card with applications recommended by teachers that offers suggestions for applications and games appropriate for their age that your child could enjoy and even benefit.
See how your child is spending time
Family Link offers a convenient way to see how your child is spending their digital time. You will receive a weekly and monthly report that shows how much time your child spent with each application he accessed. You will see his activity of applications on your profile and you can touch More to access the full list of applications and games they used and for how long it was broken down today, yesterday, the last seven days or the last 30 days. If your child has spent more time in Candy Crush than in your school’s math application, you will see that.
How to limit your child’s screen on- time
Family Link allows you to limit the amount of time your children spend on your device in two ways: setting a daily limit and specifying your child’s bedtime. Both appear as tabs on your child’s profile in the Family Link application.
With the Bedtime feature, you can touch Edit schedule to select a window of time when your child cannot unlock their device. You can impose limits selectively on weekdays (9 p.m. to 7 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday, for example) or on weekends (10 p.m. to 8 a.m., Friday and Saturday). Or, you can raise the limits completely on certain days of the week.
The option of daily limit is a little less granular. Tap on Edit limits and you can specify a daily usage limit: a certain number of hours and minutes that your child can use their device every day. Like bedtime, the amount may vary from day to day.
If the daily limit and bedtime do not work, you can lock your children’s device at any time with the Lock now option. They will be removed from their tablet or smartphone immediately, and can only be accessed again when you deactivate the settings.
It works even when your child’s device is not connected to the Internet. A parent’s special access code restricts the device’s functions until manually unlocked.
How to track your child’s location
Look at your child’s profile in Manage Settings> Location and make sure the option View your child’s location is enabled. This requires that your child’s phone be turned on and connected to the Internet to function; otherwise, it will show your last known location. When activated, you should see a location tab in your profile with a map showing your location. You can tap to expand and zoom in. If the location is not real-time or very recent, it will be displayed in gray and should tell you when it was last updated at the top.
Some useful extras
If your children have a habit of losing their phones, then you should open the Family Link application and go to their profile and then look for the phone tab that shows your device. You will see a play sound option that you can play to help you find it. You can also tap Settings here and remotely access some settings on your child’s phone.
Take a look at their profile in Manage settings> … More and you can block the exchange of photos from Google Photos, avoid logging on devices that are not monitored by Family Link (such as iPads) and Manage activity Google, which relates to your child’s privacy and the data that Google generates and stores.
Share YouTube content and limitations
You can share the content you buy with your family group by opening Google Play Store, touching the hamburger menu in the upper left corner and selecting Family Library. You will see tabs that list the applications, movies and TV or books you are sharing. Tap the settings icon in the upper right corner and you can automatically share anything you buy or choose when to share things; Age restrictions for your child will still apply, so you will not be able to access inappropriate content even if you have this set to share automatically.
One problem we have encountered with YouTube is that Google applies the age restriction automatically and you cannot override it. This means that children under age of 13 cannot install the YouTube application, but must use YouTube Kids. It also prevents them from using YouTube Premium, which is very annoying if you are paying for a premium account to access music and avoid ads. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way around this right now, but Google is expected to change this in an update.
What is the information that Google collects?
Google’s Privacy Policy establishes its information collection practices. For example, Google collects:
1. Information that you and your child create or provide to Google.
As part of the account creation process, Google requests personal information such as first and last name, email address and date of birth. Google collects the content your child provides, such as your online contact information, that is necessary for Google to contact you to request your consent. Google also collects information that your child creates, uploads or receives from others when using your account, such as when your child saves an image in Google Photos or creates a document in Google Drive.
2. Information that Google obtains from your child’s use of its services.
Google automatically collects and stores certain information about the services your child uses and how they uses them, such as when your child enters a Google Search query, watches a video on YouTube Kids or speaks with the google assistant. This information includes;
3. Your child’s applications, browsers and devices
Information is collected by google about browsers, applications, and devices used by your child to access Google services, including unique identifiers, browser type and settings, device type and settings, operating system, mobile network information, including the name of the operator and the telephone number, and the version number of the application. Google also collects information about the interaction of your child’s browser, applications, and devices with its services, including the bug reports, IP address, system activity and the reference date, time and URL of the request for your son. Google collects this information when a Google service on your child’s device contacts its servers, for example, when they install an application from the Play Store.
4. Your child’s activity
Google collects information about your child’s activity in their services, which Google uses to do things like recommend apps they might like on Google Play. The information about your child’s activity that Google collects various data’s such as search terms, videos they watch, voice and audio information when they use audio features, people with whom they communicate or share content, and Chrome’s browsing history they’ve synced with your Google account.
If your child uses their services to make and receive calls or send and receive messages, for example, through Google Hangouts, Google may collect phone registration information such as your phone number, caller’s number, calling party number, forwarding numbers, time and date of calls and messages, duration of calls, routing information and types of calls. Your child can visit his Google account to search and manage the activity information that is saved in his account and can also manage his activity information by logging into your child’s Google account.
5. Your child’s location information
Google collects information about your child’s location when they use their services. Your child’s location can be determined by using GPS, IP address, sensor data from their device and information about things close to their device, such as Wi-Fi access points, cell towers and Bluetooth enabled devices. The types of location data that Google collects depend in part on your child’s device and account settings.
6. Your child’s voice and audio information
Google may collect your child’s voice and audio information. For example, if your child uses audio activation commands (for example, “OK, Google” or touches the microphone icon), a recording of the following speech / audio will be saved in their account, plus a few seconds before, from your devices Child login, when Voice and audio activity settings are enabled.
Several technologies are used by Google to collect and store the information of your child, including cookies, pixel tags, local storage, such as browser web storage or application data caches, databases and server logs . Google does not require your child to provide more personal information than is reasonably necessary to use the Google products and services available for these accounts.
How Google uses information Google Collect
The Google Privacy Policy explains in more detail the purposes for which Google collects data in association with your child’s Google account. In general, Google uses your child’s information: to provide, maintain and improve their services; to develop new services; to customize their services for your child; to measure performance and understand how their services are used; to communicate directly with your child regarding their services; and to help improve the security and reliability of their services.
Google uses different technologies to process your child’s information for these purposes. Google uses automated systems that analyze your child’s content to provide them with things like personalized search results or other features adapted to the way they use their services. And Google analyzes your child’s content to help detect abuse such as spam, malware and illegal content. Google also uses algorithms to recognize patterns in the data.
Google may disable your account or take other appropriate measures when google detects spam, malware, illegal content and other forms of abuse on its systems in violation of its policies. In certain circumstances, Google may also report the violation to the appropriate authorities.
Google may use your child’s information to provide recommendations, personalized content and personalized search results. For example, depending on your child’s settings, Google Play may use information such as the applications your child has installed to suggest new applications that theymight like.
In addition, Google may combine the information that Google collects between its services and on your child’s devices. The activity of your child on other sites and applications depending on your child’s account settings may be associated with their personal information to improve Google services. Google will not publish personalized ads for your child, which means that the ads will not be based on your child’s account information.
Instead, ads can be based on information such as the content of the website or the application your child is seeing, the current search query or the general location (such as city or state). When you browse the web or use non-Google applications, your child may find ads published by other ad providers (other than Google), including personalized third-party ads.
Information your child can share
Your child can share information, including photos, videos, audio and location, publicly and with others, when they sign in with their Google account. When your child shares information publicly, it can be accessed through search engines such as Google Search.
Google stock information
The information that Google collects may be shared outside of Google in limited circumstances. Google does not share personal information of its database with an organizations, companies, and individuals outside of Google, except in the following cases: With consent, Google will share personal information outside of Google with consent (as applicable). With your family group Your child’s information, including your name, photo, email address and Play purchases, can be shared with your family group members on Google.
For external processing, Google provides personal information to their affiliates or other companies or trusted persons to process it for Google, in accordance with their instructions and in accordance with the Privacy Notice, Google’s Privacy Policy and any other adequate confidentiality and security measures.
For legal reasons, Google will share personal information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Google if Google believes in good faith that access, use, preservation or disclosure of information is reasonably necessary to:
- comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or request of government;
- enforce applicable terms of service, including investigation of possible violations;
- detect, prevent or address fraud, security or technical problems; or
- Protect against damage to the rights, property or security of Google, its users or the public as required or permitted by law.
Google may also share non-personally identifiable information (such as trends on the general use of their services) publicly and with their partners, such as publishers, advertisers, developers or rights holders. For example, To show trends on the general use of their services, google shares information publicly. Google also lets specific partners to collect information from devices or browsers for advertising and measurement purposes using their own cookies or similar technologies.
This privacy notice applies, your child has signed into YouTube Kids with their Google account. The YouTube Kids Privacy Notice applies if your child is not signed in to YouTube kids with their google account.
Access to your child’s personal information
If you created a new account for your child with Family Link, you can access, update, delete and export your child’s information by logging into your Google account. You can reset the password of your child’s account through the Family Link application or Family Link settings on the web if you do not remember the password. Once you are logged in, you can use the various controls described in the Google Privacy Policy (such as Google activity controls) to manage your child’s privacy settings and information.
If your child created his or her own account before changing the minimum age required in your country, and then you later granted your child permission to maintain their account, you will not be able to reset your child’s password or log into their account without their permission.
By default, your child will have the ability to change their activity controls, remove their previous activity in “My Activity” and grant application permissions (including things like device location, microphone or contacts) to third parties. However on Android, you can limit the ability of your child to make these choices without parental approval by going to Family Link settings (either on the web or in the app) and changing the setting of “Manage Google Activity” and “Application permissions” to “only Parents.”
You can also use the Family Link application or Family Link settings on the web to edit or modify your child’s Google account information, review application activity and application permissions, and manage your child’s capacity to grant certain permissions to applications to do things like access information on your child’s Android device (such as location, microphone and contacts). Family Link can be used to help manage your child’s access to certain features, applications, and services on Android, or change their Android permissions on devices with Android 6.0 and higher.
If at any time you wish to stop the collection or additional use of your child’s information, you can delete your child’s Google account by clicking “Delete account” on your child’s account information page on Family Link or on the family group page in My account. Your child’s account information will be permanently deleted within a reasonable period of time.
When your child can manage their account on their own
When your child turns 13 (or the relevant age as determined by applicable law in your jurisdiction), they are eligible to manage your account on their own. If your child chooses to manage their Google account, they will no longer have access to or control over their account, unless you and your child decide to set up supervision again through Family Link. Before your child is eligible to manage their own Google account, Google will notify you and your child.
Parents in your family group can use Family Link to manage account settings in their child’s Google account.
Depending on your child’s device, family Link parental supervision services may vary. Here’s how to control Google’s activity on your child’s account. Depending on the Google activity settings you chose for your child, Google may save some activity in your child’s Google account. To prevent Google from saving this type of activity, you can change your child’s settings, but doing so may mean that some features of Family Link and other Google services will not work.
- Choose your child’s Google Activity settings
- Open the Family Link application.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings, More, Manage Google activity, Manage activity controls on the settings card.
- Touch an activity control and activate it or pause.
- Choose if your child can change their Google Activity settings
Both you and your child can change your Google activity settings. If you wish, you can do so that only parents can change this setting.
- Open the Family Link application.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings, More, Manage Google activity on the settings card.
- Under “Choose who can manage activity controls,” select Only parents or Child and parents.
- View or delete your child’s saved activity
Important: If you added supervision to your child’s existing Google account, you will need your help to do so.
- Visit the My Activity page on your child’s device.
- In the upper right corner, touch More Select.
- Check the boxes, you want to delete which is next to any activity.
- Tap. delete, Delete.
- Edit your child’s Google account information
Note: These options are only available if your child is under 13 (or the age applicable in your country) and you have not chosen to manage your own account.
- Change your child’s name, birthday or gender
- Open the Family Link application.
- Select your child.
- On the “Settings” card, tap Manage settings, Account information.
- In the upper right corner, touch Edit.
- Make changes to your child’s account.
- In the upper right corner, tap Done.
- Change your child’s picture
Note: If you added supervision to your child’s existing Google account, this option is not available.
- Open the Family Link application.
- Select your child.
- In your current image, touch Photo.
- Select a photo or take a new one.
- Reset your child’s password
Changing your child’s password could sign out of their devices. Any monitoring settings you have activated will not work until your child signs in again.
- Open the Family Link application.
- Select your child.
- On the “Settings” card, tap Manage settings, Account information then, Change password.
- Sign in with your Google account information.
- Enter a new password.
- Touch Change
If your child has two-step verification activated, tap “Understood” to confirm the pop-up notification.
Important: By clicking on your child’s name on Families.google.com, you can also manage this setting.
2-step verification for your child’s account
If your child has two-step verification enabled for your account and you change their password, two-step verification will be disabled and an additional layer of security will be removed from their account.
Once two-step verification is disabled, a notification email will be sent to both you and your child. Your child can re-activate verification in two steps once they log in to their account.
Helping you establish basic digital rules
You can understand better on how your younger or older children explore online, as well as manage their accounts and compatible devices using Family Link. You can set limits that work for your family by managing applications, controlling screen time, setting a bedtime for your child’s device and more.
Set limits for your family online with Family Link
Keep an eye on screen time
You decide what screen time is right for your child. It can depend on whether they are using your device to read a book, watch videos or play games. You can use Family Link application activity reports to see which applications your child uses most.
Limit daily access
Set a daily limit: Family Link allows you to set daily screen time limits on your child’s Android device and set a bedtime to lock their device at bedtime.