How to Set Up Parental Controls on an Android Phone for Kids

Android offers two main approaches to parental controls depending on a child's age and how much oversight you want. For children under 13, Google Family Link is the most comprehensive option. For teenagers, Android's built-in Digital Wellbeing tools provide lighter-touch limits that work well as guardrails while giving older kids more independence.

Google Family Link is a free app from Google. Parents download it on their own phone and children download the companion app on theirs. Once linked, the parent can approve or deny every app the child tries to download from the Google Play Store, set daily screen time limits, schedule bedtime lock (the phone stops working at a set hour), track the child's location, and filter explicit content in web search.

To set up Family Link: the parent downloads "Google Family Link for Parents" from the Google Play Store. Then, on the child's Android phone, you set up a Google account for them during the initial phone setup and choose the option to manage it with Family Link. You can also add Family Link supervision to an existing account if the child's phone is already set up.

After linking, open the Family Link parent app to see a dashboard showing the child's activity. From here, tap App Activity to see which apps they've used and for how long. Tap Screen Time to set daily limits — for example, 2 hours of total phone use per day. Tap Bedtime to schedule hours when the phone locks (say, 9 PM to 7 AM on school nights).

For apps, when a child tries to install something from the Play Store, a notification goes to the parent's phone asking for approval. You tap Approve or Decline. You can also remotely uninstall apps the child already has installed.

Location is shown on a map in the Family Link app. You can also set up location alerts so you're notified when the child arrives at or leaves a specific place.

When a child turns 13, Google prompts you to either remove supervision entirely or continue with a more transparent supervised mode where the child can see what controls are in place. This is worth a direct family conversation about the transition.

For teenagers or older children on their own device, Android's Digital Wellbeing (Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls) allows setting app timers, Bedtime Mode (which dims the screen and turns on Do Not Disturb), and a Dashboard showing weekly screen time. These controls are set on the phone itself rather than from a parent's device, so they work on the honor system — the teen can theoretically disable them. A direct conversation about why limits exist tends to be more effective than any technical barrier.