App · Low risk
Is Google Family Link safe for your child?
Age guide
Parents use for children under 13
We advise Google Family Link from age 13 and up. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk).
- 5-8
- For this age group, Google Family Link is essential for setting strict app download approvals, managing screen time, and ensuring safe content filters on YouTube Kids and Google Play.
- 9-12
- Parents can use Family Link to monitor app usage, approve purchases, and track device location, while gradually allowing more independence with content choices as appropriate.
- 13-15
- While Family Link's full control typically ends at age 13, parents can discuss maintaining some monitoring features with their child's consent, focusing on responsible digital citizenship and app management.
- 16+
- Google Family Link is not designed for this age group, as its primary function is for children under 13, and older teens should be managing their own digital safety with parental guidance and trust.
Google Family Link is a parental control service that allows parents to manage their children's Android devices and Google accounts. It enables parents to set screen time limits, approve app downloads, track location, and manage privacy settings.
- Age guide
- Parents use for children 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
Google Family Link is a parental control service that allows parents to manage their child's Google account and Android devices. It provides tools for screen time limits, app approvals, content filtering, and location tracking for children under 13. Parents should use it as a tool for guidance and open communication, rather than a substitute for discussions about online safety and digital citizenship.
What to do about Google 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 Google Family Link is Parents use for children under 13, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact Google Family Link setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about Google Family Link without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in Google Family Link that mean it is time to step in.
Google Family Link age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is Google Family Link?
Parentwise puts Google Family Link at Parents use for children under 13. We advise Google 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 Google Family Link?
Not by default: we advise Google 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, approve purchases, and track device location, while gradually allowing more independence with content choices as appropriate.
Can a 12 year old use Google Family Link?
Not by default: we advise Google 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, approve purchases, and track device location, while gradually allowing more independence with content choices as appropriate.
Can a 13 year old use Google Family Link?
Yes, 13 is at or above the age we advise for Google Family Link (13+). While Family Link's full control typically ends at age 13, parents can discuss maintaining some monitoring features with their child's consent, focusing on responsible digital citizenship and app management.
Is Google Family Link appropriate for kids?
Google Family Link is a parental control service that allows parents to manage their child's Google account and Android devices. Parentwise rates Google Family Link overall as low risk (1/10), with stranger contact at 1/10 and addiction risk at 1/10.
Is Google Family Link family friendly?
Google Family Link is one of the lower-risk titles we rate. It provides tools for screen time limits, app approvals, content filtering, and location tracking for children under 13.
Google Family Link parents guide: what should a parent know first?
Google Family Link is a parental control service that allows parents to manage their child's Google account and Android devices. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (1/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (1/10).
Is Google Family Link safe for kids?
We advise Google Family Link from age 13 and up. Overall risk 1/10 (low risk). It provides tools for screen time limits, app approvals, content filtering, and location tracking for children under 13.
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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.