Children are coming into contact with smartphones at an increasingly younger age. As a parent, you naturally want this to happen in a safe manner. Google's Family Link app can help you with that by enabling remote parental controls. That's how you set things up.
With Family Link, you determine, among other things, which apps can be installed on your child's device and gain insight into how much he or she uses the phone. You can also keep an eye on things by finding out their location live, set search filters, or automatically lock the phone as soon as it is bedtime. We walk you through the installation.
Supplies
- Your own smartphone (Android 4.4 or higher)
- Your child's smartphone (Android 7 or higher)
- A credit card (to verify that you are a parent)
- A child account (you create this during installation)
- The Family Link app on both phones (you also do this gradually)
Install and set up Family Link
First install the Family Link app on your own phone. Start the app, tap at the bottom Start and follow the instructions on the screen. First, Family Link asks you to create a family group based on your own Google account. Tap on Yes, I agree, and up a few times Next one to create a separate Google Account for your child. First you fill his or her name in, followed by date of birth and sex. This date is important because a children's account only applies to persons under the age of 13.
In the next screen you create a gmail address including password for your child. Then you serve yourself creditcard information to fill in. This costs nothing, but this is how Google verifies that you are an adult. accept then Google's privacy and service terms. Before you continue, first grab your child's device.
So Family Link works with a special Google account. If your child already has a full Google account on his device, it doesn't just work. The most convenient is to work with a new, empty smartphone. That is what we will assume in this workshop. As soon as you have reset this phone to factory settings, the standard Android installation procedure will start.
One of the first steps you take is to sign in with a Google account. Enter the gmail address and password of the account you just created for your child here. You will then be prompted to install the Family Link app. Tap to do that (yes) to install. Then tap several times Next one to arrive at a screen where you can immediately determine which default apps can remain accessible. You do this by removing or leaving the check mark next to it.
Continue through the Android installation until you reach the Home screen. After that, make sure Google Play Services is up to date. You will probably get a pop-up of this, which will take you to the Play Store. As soon as this is successful, grab your own device again.
Connect and manage group
You have arrived here at step 3: Connect to your child's device. Put the phones side by side and tap several times Next one to make that connection. Now you - finally - end up in the app itself, where the parental controls can actually begin.
Your family group works in a similar way to WhatsApp groups. You can see the members at the top and set a nice picture if you want. Tap your own profile picture at the top to see who's in the group. You can also add others to the group here. This could be your partner, for example, or other children in the family. At the bottom of the screen you see the option To look at. This is where you set most of the settings.
App installation and daily limit
When your child wants to install an app from the Play Store, it is not possible just like that. He or she will then be asked to ask for permission. As soon as they tap Request permission, you will receive a notification on your phone. Tap that to end up with you Approval Requests, and press Approve. Then the installation of the app on the other device starts automatically.
In the image above you can also see the option screen time, which you can also find in the main menu of Family Link. You can at daily limit set how many hours your child can use his or her smartphone per day. Then the device is locked. That also applies to the option at the top Bedtime. Here you indicate the time at which the telephone can no longer be used in the evening. Only the option to call remains, for emergencies.
Find out location and additional settings
The app also gives you the option to find out the location of your child. This can be useful, for example, to check whether he or she has arrived safely at school. Just make sure location services turned on on the other phone. You will see where your child is on a Google Maps map, and you can navigate there immediately by tapping the arrow icon.
You can see more in the main menu Today's Activity, where you can see which apps have been opened recently and for how long. below Institutions you can remotely wipe your child's smartphone or set a new screen lock.
At the very top you see the option Manage settings. Here you can, among other things, set search filters and deny access to certain 18+ websites in Chrome. below monitoring options for Google Play determine which content is visible and which is not. This way you can filter films that are only suitable for 12 years and older.
If you want to give your child a little more freedom in the apps he or she can install, choose the option Require approval for. For example, set here that approval should only be requested when it concerns a paid app, or when apps facilitate in-app purchases. Free apps can then be installed without additional permission.
By the way, you can't do all of the above secretly. When you set that you want to track the location of your child, he or she will see this in his own Family link app under the option What your parents see. Incidentally, they cannot remove the app from their device themselves.
