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How do I set up parental controls on my child's Android phone?

2 min read Published 13 Nov 2026

By Bertie Aspinall, Co-Founder, SafetyMode

Google's free parental controls centre on Family Link, which supervises your child's Google account from your own phone. With Android 17, a set of Parental Controls is also built straight into the phone's Settings menu, with a direct path into Family Link.

What Google gives you

Screen time and Downtime: daily limits, a bedtime lock and per-app time limits.
School Time: silences notifications and limits apps during school hours.
App approvals: your child requests apps from Google Play, and you approve or decline.
Content filters: SafeSearch and site blocking in Chrome, Google Search and YouTube.
Parent-managed contacts: you choose who your child can call and text, and they can request new contacts for your approval.
Sensitive content warnings: blurs images that may contain nudity in Google Messages, on by default for supervised accounts.
Location: shows the phone's location and battery level.

Setting it up, step by step

Exact menus vary by manufacturer, but the route is broadly:

Install Google Family Link on your own phone (Android or iPhone).
When setting up the new phone, create a Google account for your child with their real date of birth, or add their existing account, and link it to you as parent. On Android 17, you can also start from Settings > Parental Controls.
In Family Link, under Screen Time, set daily limits, Downtime overnight and School Time for lesson hours.
Under Controls, require approval for all Google Play downloads and set Play content ratings.
Set Chrome and Search to block explicit sites, and choose a supervised experience for YouTube.
Set up parent-managed contacts where your phone supports it, and check sensitive content warnings are on in Google Messages.
Turn on location sharing.
Test it from your child's side, including trying to install another browser or app, and adjust anything that slips through.

Where it falls short

Family Link has the same blind spot as Apple's tools: it decides whether an app can be opened and for how long, not what your child sees once it is open. Web filtering is tied mainly to Google's own services, so other browsers and in-app browsers can slip past it.

Nudity warnings cover images in Google Messages rather than WhatsApp, Snapchat or games, and nothing looks at the text of messages. The experience can also vary between phone makers and Android versions, so check what your chosen handset supports.

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This article is published by ParentBoost. It was written or reviewed for ParentBoost by the contributor below and edited by our team. It is general information for parents, not individual professional advice.

Bertie Aspinall

Co-Founder, SafetyMode

Bertie Aspinall is co-founder of SafetyMode and OtherPhone, where he works on technology to make smartphones safer for children and teenagers. He studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cambridge and worked at the European Commission and Virgin Atlantic. During the pandemic he helped build Doctors in Distress, a charity supporting the mental health of NHS staff, where he remains an ambassador. ParentBoost has teamed up with OtherPhone and earns a commission when members buy one.

This article is general guidance for parents and carers, not medical, health, legal or other professional advice. Every child is different. If you're worried about your child's health or development, talk to your GP, health visitor or another suitable professional. In an emergency, call 999. For urgent advice, call NHS 111.

How do I set up parental controls on my child's Android phone?

What Google gives you

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