Google Family Link
Google Family Link is a free program that allows parents to monitor and, if necessary, restrict their children's smartphone use. In order to use Google Family Link, there must be one Google account for the child and one for the parent. It is also possible to add several child or parent accounts to a family group. If you do not want to set up a Google account for yourself or your child, you cannot use Family Link. The app is only available for children on the Android operating system. The app does not work on devices with the iOS operating system. Parents, on the other hand, can use the app on both Android and iOS devices. Or they can log into their account via a browser and manage the child's device.
What does the program promise?
Google Family Link allows you to keep an eye on your child's screen time or even restrict it. Parents can limit their children's screen time by setting time limits for the entire device or just for individual apps.
Google Family Link also allows you to filter content that is not suitable for children. Depending on the settings, the content in all Google services is then filtered or blocked completely. This includes, for example, content in the Google Chrome browser, apps in the Google Play Store or videos on YouTube. The setting options are varied and can intervene more or less restrictively in the child's usage behavior. It is possible to prohibit access to all unknown websites or "only" to be informed if the child wants to buy a paid app in the Play Store, for example.
Google Family Link offers the option of retrieving the smartphone's location. This allows parents to check remotely where the smartphone (and therefore their child) is located. It is also possible to be informed automatically when the child has reached a predetermined location (e.g. school).
You can find an overview of all the functions on the Family Link website.
Our experience with Google Family Link
The installation
The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. The set-up process is easy to understand. However, parents should bring enough time with them. Especially if a Google account still needs to be set up for the child. During the installation process, Google provides extensive information about the data that is collected during use and how it is used. This is of course correct and complies with legal requirements. However, if you want to read through this wealth of information carefully, you need to allow enough time. Once the installation was complete, Google Family Link worked immediately and without any problems on our test device.
www.medien-kindersicher.de will help you set up Google Family Link. With simple step-by-step instructions, you can set up the app to suit your child's needs.
On the main page of our topic area on parental control programs, parents can also find educational tips on the use of technical aids in media education.
The handling
In our test, Google Family Link was managed via an Internet browser. After logging into the parent account, the most important settings are easy to find. Google Family Link offers the option of keeping an eye on the child's screen time or restricting it. Time limits can be set per day or for the whole week. These time limits then apply to the entire device. Once they have been used up, the smartphone can no longer be unlocked. However, emergency calls are still possible and parents can also set up "Always allowed apps". It is also possible to set time limits for individual apps only. This means that the smartphone can continue to be used even if a certain app can no longer be opened. Break times can also be set up so that children do not use up their screen time without a break. Quiet times (for example at bedtime) are also possible.
The child's usage times can be viewed by parents. How long the child has used the smartphone during the day is recorded. This usage time is then broken down again into the usage time per app. This gives parents an impression of their child's screen time. However, they do not find out exactly what time their child used which app. It also does not record which websites the child has visited or which search queries they have made.
The filter function worked reliably in all Google services during the test. Depending on the settings, websites were blocked in the Google Chrome browser, unsuitable apps were no longer displayed in the Play Store and search results were censored in the Google search engine. It is important to note that the filter function can only be used in Google products. For example, it is not possible to use a browser other than Chrome together with the filter function. A Google search filter can also be easily bypassed by accessing a search engine from another provider via the browser.
Installed apps on the child's device can be conveniently managed via the parent interface. If an app is blocked on the child's device, it disappears from the overview and can no longer be opened by the child. A positive feature is that locking and unlocking is always accompanied by a message on the child's device. This way, the child can see what changes have been made by the parents.
Google Family Link also offers children the option of sending sharing requests to their parents' account. For example, if the child tries to access a blocked website or app, they can ask for approval via Family Link.
The location check functioned reliably. A notification appeared on the child's device the first time the location was called up. However, there were no more notifications for all subsequent retrievals.
Please note that we have not systematically tested Google Family Link. We tested the program on a single device over a period of approximately one week. The impressions described here therefore only reflect our experiences during this period and with this device and are not representative.
What we liked
- Google Family Link is available free of charge, offers many functions and is intuitive to use.
- Search histories and websites visited are not visible to parents (to protect the privacy of the child).
- Children are informed via system messages when their parents have made changes.
What you should know
- Family Link cannot be used without a Google account and consent for Google to use the child's and parents' data .
- The filter settings only provide protection if only Google products are used. The Internet filter can be bypassed, for example, by using the browser of another manufacturer. This locks your child into the "Google ecosystem" .
- Inappropriate content in social media services or messengers is not covered by the filter and is visible to children.
- Only the total usage time of a day is visible in the usage time overview. However, parents cannot see from this how the usage time is distributed throughout the day.
- In our test , the location query only triggered a message to the child the first time. After that, it was theoretically also possible to monitor the child secretly.