Parents' guide — Google Family Link

How to use Google Family Link — and where it stops (2026)

Google Family Link is a free app from Google. It lets you set screen-time limits, a bedtime, and app rules on your child's Android phone from your own phone. This guide shows you the exact steps, and the things Family Link cannot do so you are not caught out.

By the Safeinest team — written by parents, checked against what the apps really do · Published 15 September 2026

The short answer

Install Family Link on your phone and your child's phone, then link them with the child's Google Account. From your phone you can then set a daily time limit, a bedtime, per-app limits, approve or block downloads, lock the device, and see where it is.

Step by step

Family Link works best when the child uses an Android phone or a Chromebook. On an iPhone it can only manage a child's Google account use, not the whole phone. For an iPhone, Apple's own Screen Time is the tool. See our guide to parental controls on an iPhone.

1. Make a Google Account for your child

You need this first. On your own phone, open the Family Link app (download it free from the Play Store). Tap Add child, then Create account. Follow the steps. You will set the child's name, date of birth, and a password. This account is what Family Link watches.

2. Install Family Link on the child's phone

On the child's Android phone, open Settings → Google → Parental controls and tap Get started. Or install the Family Link app on that phone. Sign in with the child's new Google Account. When asked, sign in with your own account to confirm you are the parent. The two phones are now linked.

3. Set the rules from your phone

Open Family Link on your phone and tap your child's name. You can now set:

• Daily limit. Tap Controls → Screen time → Daily limit. Set how many hours per day.
• Bedtime (Downtime). In Screen time, set a bedtime. The phone locks itself at that time each night. For more on this, read Phones at bedtime.
• App limits. Tap Controls → App limits to cap one app, like a game, to a set number of minutes.
• Approve downloads. Under Controls → Content restrictions → Google Play, choose to require your approval before any app is installed.
• Lock the device. On the child's card, tap Lock to lock the phone right now, for dinner or homework.
• Location. Tap Location to see where the phone is on a map.
• Content filters. Under Content restrictions, turn on SafeSearch for Google, set the filter for YouTube, and block adult sites in Chrome.

If you would rather not create a child Google Account, or you have an older phone, read Android parental controls without Family Link and our tips to pause your child's apps from your phone.

What the free tools do and where they stop

Family Link is genuinely useful and it costs nothing. Screen-time limits, bedtime, download approval and location all work well. But it is honest to know the edges.

• It does not read messages. Family Link does not scan the words inside WhatsApp, texts or chats for bullying, self-harm or grooming. It manages time and downloads, not what is said to your child.
• Supervision can loosen. Once a child reaches 13 (or the age of digital consent in your country) they can choose to remove supervision. You are notified, but you cannot always stop it.
• It depends on the account. It only works while the child stays signed in to that Google Account.
• A determined teen has gaps. A different browser, a guest account, or a second old phone can slip past it.
• It is built for Android. On an iPhone it manages the Google account only, not the whole phone.

Where Safeinest helps — and where it cannot

Safeinest is a paid family app that goes further than time limits. It is honest about what it can and cannot do, and this depends heavily on whether your child has an Android phone or an iPhone.

On an Android child phone, Safeinest can send message-safety alerts. This means it can spot self-harm, bullying or grooming words in messages and notifications, on the device, with a consent screen the child sees. It can also set app pauses, bedtime and school-hours rules, live location and safe zones, and a removal lock so the app cannot easily be deleted. Detection is an Android strength.

On an iPhone, Apple does not let any app read messages, so Safeinest cannot do that, and we will not pretend otherwise. On iPhone it does limits, location, family calls and an SOS button, and picture warnings through Apple's own tools. The rule of thumb is simple: iPhone means limits yes, reading messages no. No app can read WhatsApp or iMessage on an iPhone. See the full list on our features page.

The numbers

Children get phones early. Ofcom (2025) found 56% of 10-year-olds and 83% of 11-year-olds in the UK own a smartphone, and 99% of 8 to 17-year-olds are online. Most of those phones are Android. StatCounter puts Android at about 70% of phones worldwide, and in many countries it is far higher — around 94% in Pakistan, 96% in India and 94% in Bangladesh (World Population Review and StatCounter, 2024–2025). So for most families, the Android tools above are the ones that matter.

The harder truth is what happens in messages, which time limits never see. A McAfee study (2022) found 85% of children aged 10 to 18 in India said they had been cyberbullied, the highest of ten countries surveyed. In Europe and Canada, the WHO/Europe HBSC study (2024) found 1 in 6 children aged 11 to 15 has been cyberbullied. And when something bad happens online, 2 in 5 children never told anyone (LGfL, via Internet Matters). That silence is why what happens inside chats matters as much as screen time.

What to say to your child

Keep it calm and short. You could say: "I am setting up Family Link so we can agree screen time together, not to spy on you." Then: "If anyone online ever makes you feel scared or upset, you can tell me and you will not be in trouble." Saying that last line early makes it far more likely they will come to you.

Helplines

In the UK, your child can call Childline free on 0800 1111. As a parent you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. In an emergency, always call 999. Outside the UK, call your local emergency number or your country's child helpline.