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App · Low risk

Is Family Link safe for your child?

Age guide

Parents use for under 13

We advise Family Link from age 13 and up. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk).

5-8
For this age, Family Link allows parents to approve every app download and set strict daily screen time limits, ensuring content is age appropriate and device use is balanced.
9-12
Parents can use Family Link to monitor app usage and location, and to manage website access through Chrome, providing oversight as children explore more online independence.
13-15
Family Link continues to offer screen time controls and app approval, but parents can adjust settings to allow more freedom, like enabling supervised experiences on YouTube or Google Search with less strict filtering.
16+
While Family Link is primarily for children under 13, it can still be used for teens to manage screen time or app permissions, although many features become less restrictive as children approach adulthood.

Google Family Link is a free parental control service that allows parents to manage their children's Android devices and Google accounts. It helps parents guide their children to make healthy online decisions.

Age guide
Parents use for under 13
Overall risk
1/10
Violence
1/10
Toxic behaviour
1/10
Stranger contact
1/10
Addiction risk
1/10
Language
1/10
Influence
1/10

What parents should know

Family Link is a comprehensive parental control tool from Google designed to help manage children's Android devices and Google accounts. It enables parents to approve apps, set screen time limits, manage content restrictions, and track device location. This tool provides a framework for guiding children's digital habits and ensuring a safer online experience.

What to do about Family Link

Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.

  • The age-by-age verdict
    What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for Family Link is Parents use for under 13, and the answer changes with your child's age.
  • The one setting to change tonight
    The exact Family Link setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it.
  • What to say
    Word-for-word openers for talking about Family Link without a row.
  • Red flags to watch for
    The signals in Family Link that mean it is time to step in.
See what to change tonight

Family Link age rating and parents guide: common questions

What age rating is Family Link?

Parentwise puts Family Link at Parents use for under 13. We advise Family Link from age 13 and up. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk). Violence scores 1/10, language 1/10, stranger contact 1/10 and addiction risk 1/10.

Can a 10 year old use Family Link?

Not by default: we advise Family Link from 13+, so at 10 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Parents can use Family Link to monitor app usage and location, and to manage website access through Chrome, providing oversight as children explore more online independence.

Can a 12 year old use Family Link?

Not by default: we advise Family Link from 13+, so at 12 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Parents can use Family Link to monitor app usage and location, and to manage website access through Chrome, providing oversight as children explore more online independence.

Can a 13 year old use Family Link?

Yes, 13 is at or above the age we advise for Family Link (13+). Family Link continues to offer screen time controls and app approval, but parents can adjust settings to allow more freedom, like enabling supervised experiences on YouTube or Google Search with less strict filtering.

Is Family Link appropriate for kids?

Family Link is a comprehensive parental control tool from Google designed to help manage children's Android devices and Google accounts. Parentwise rates Family Link overall as low risk (1/10), with stranger contact at 1/10 and addiction risk at 1/10.

Is Family Link family friendly?

Family Link is one of the lower-risk titles we rate. It enables parents to approve apps, set screen time limits, manage content restrictions, and track device location.

Family Link parents guide: what should a parent know first?

Family Link is a comprehensive parental control tool from Google designed to help manage children's Android devices and Google accounts. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (1/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (1/10).

Is Family Link safe for kids?

We advise Family Link from age 13 and up. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk). It enables parents to approve apps, set screen time limits, manage content restrictions, and track device location.

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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.