Family Link allows parents to set time limits, lock devices, approve or block apps

[Mike Mercury]

You can now ask Google Assistant to turn off your teen’s phone during dinner. Parents will be able to manage their teens’ existing Google accounts with Family Link.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/18/1...ental-controls

Family Link allows parents to set screen time limits, lock devices when it’s time for a break, approve or block apps downloaded from the Play Store, and locate their kids through their devices. It’s also now available on Google Assistant with support coming for Chromebooks soon.

Family Link, the parental control hub Google introduced last year to give kids under 13 their own Google accounts, is now expanding its features to teens. Family Link allows parents to set screen time limits, lock devices when it’s time for a break, approve or block apps downloaded from the Play Store, and locate their kids through their devices. It’s also now available on Google Assistant with support coming for Chromebooks soon.

Family Link is technically available to anyone with an existing Google account, so by expanding the features past teens to seniors, it’s hoping to let users help monitor online safety for all family members. When it’s being used for anyone over 13, both parties must consent before the monitoring can begin. If the account holder doesn’t consent, they can choose not to provide their password to enable Family Link supervision. If the teen being monitored decides they want to opt out, they can choose to do so, but this puts the phone onto 24-hour lockdown.

Parents have had the ability to lock their kids’ devices from their Family Link apps, but now they can ask Google Assistant to do it for them with a voice command. You can say, “Hey Google, lock Johnny’s device,” and they’ll have five minutes to wrap up before the phone locks.

The Google Assistant update also adds family-friendly content for accounts managed by Family Link. Google Assistant can recognize up to six different voices, and if it hears a child asking questions, it will provide kid-friendly responses. For example, if your child says, “Hey Google, check for monsters”, it’ll make laser noises as if it’s scanning the room for monsters, and then say, “All clear!”

All of these features are available today, and they’re rolling out globally to almost every country in the world.