Setting safety boundaries on the internet playground: Google’s Family Link expands to teens

Image: Martin Dimitrov/Istock.com via AFP Relaxnews

Family Link, an app launched by Google in 2017 that allows parents to supervise their pre-teens’ Android screen time, is now expanding its reach to also include families with kids 13 and over.

According to a Google blog post on Tuesday, the free app designed to allow parents to set digital rules for their child’s online experience, has been adapted for teens. After thousands of popular reviews and requests for the application to be revamped for teenagers, parents’ wishes were answered this week.

This application allows guardians to supervise their child’s and adolescent’s existing Google Accounts by tracking their child’s activity, setting limits on screen time, approving or disapproving apps, and even locking the device when it’s study time.

With the update, however, there is a difference in how much a parent can control their teen’s device. The biggest distinction between the teen and child functions of the app is that teenagers can turn off the supervision as they please though parents are notified when they do so.

This app is not just limited to Android devices; the Family Link supervision can be implemented on Chromebooks, too, but with fewer capabilities. The developers plan to add more features allowing parents to set screen time limits and manage the apps that their kids can use on Chromebooks just as they do with their phones in the near future. JB

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