Add & manage supervision on an existing Google Account

If your child already has their own Google Account, you can add supervision and manage their parental controls with Family Link.

If your child under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) doesn't have a Google Account yet, you can create one for them and manage it with Family Link.

If you add parental supervision to your child's existing Google Account and your child is above the applicable age in your country, you or your child can stop supervision at any time. If your child stops supervision, you'll be notified and your child's supervised devices will be locked temporarily.

Important: Stopping supervision may work differently for children under 18 who live in Japan and are using a Pixel phone.

Requirements

To add supervision to your child's existing Google Account, you need to:

• Have a Google Account yourself. If you don't have one you can create a Google Account at no charge.
• Be 18 or older (or the appropriate age in your country).
• Recommended: Have an Android device (5+), iPhone or iPad (iOS 13+), or Chromebook (M69+) to download the Family Link app on.

To let a parent supervise their existing Google Account, a child needs to:

• Agree to parental supervision.
• Live in the same country as their parent.

Add supervision

What to know before you start

Your child and their device must be nearby when you’re adding supervision to their account.

Important: If you need to provide consent for your child's continued use of their Google Account, the steps are different.

Start supervision on your child's device

Set up supervision from your child's Android device

1. On your child's device, open Settings .
2. Click Google Parental controls.
3. Click Get started.
4. Select Child or teen.
5. Click Next.
6. Select your child's account or create a new one for them.
7. Click Next Sign in with your (parent) account.
8. Follow the steps to setup supervision on child account. Your child will need to give their consent during the setup process.

Set up supervision on your child's Chromebook

1. On your child's Chromebook, open Settings .
2. Next to People Parental Controls , click Set up.
3. Follow the steps to setup supervision on the child's account. Your child will need to give their consent during the setup process.

Set up supervision from web or a non-Android device

If your child doesn't have an Android device, follow these instructions to set up supervision. Make sure to use your child's email and password.

Manage supervision and filter settings

You can manage parental control settings for your child's supervised devices with the Family Link app on your own (i.e., the parent's) device.

Install Family Link for parents

Parents can install Family Link for parents app on their devices to change parental control settings and remotely manage their child's supervised devices. To do so, you can download the app from the Google Play Store (for parents on Android or Chromebook) or the App Store (for parents on iPhones or iPads).

Manage your child's account, devices, apps & more

Once you've added supervision to your child's Google Account, learn more about what you can manage.

Stop supervision

You can't stop supervision until your child reaches the applicable age to manage their own Google Account.

Stop supervision with a parent's device

To stop supervision with a parent's device:

1. On your parent device, open the Family Link app  .
2. Select your child.
3. Tap Controls Account Settings Account Info.
4. Tap Stop supervision.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Stop supervision with your child's device

If you added supervision to your child's existing Google Account, your child can also turn off supervision themselves. If your child turns off supervision without your permission, you'll be notified and their supervised Android devices will lock temporarily.

Important: To stop supervision on your child’s device, it must have Android 7.0 or higher.

1. On your child's device, open Settings .
   • On Android versions 8.1 (O) and later, tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
   • On other Android versions, tap Google Parental controls.
2. At the top right, tap More Stop supervision.
3. To verify you are a parent, sign in or use your Parent Access Code.
4. To turn off supervision, follow the on-screen instructions.

What parents can see and do with added supervision

Important: If you provided consent for your child's continued use of their Google Account, some supervision and account features work differently.

If you add parental supervision to your child's existing Google Account, you can use Family Link to manage things like:

Account settings & control

• Update some of your child's account settings
• Help your child sign in to other devices with their Google Account
• Manage settings like Web and App Activity and Location History that control how Google collects and processes your child's data
• Control whether your child can give third-party apps and sites access to their account

Apps on supervised devices

• Approve app requests from Google Play
• Block apps you don't want your child to use

Learn which devices can be supervised.

Location of Android devices

• See where your child is with their Android devices

Screen time on supervised devices

• See which apps your child uses, and for how long
• Set daily screen time limits
• Remotely lock devices when it's time to study or sleep

Learn which devices can be supervised.

Google Chrome, Search & Play filters

• Block or allow sites on Chrome
• Turn SafeSearch on or off
• Manage what your child can browse, purchase, or download on Google Play

Tip: Purchase approval settings apply only to purchases made through Google Play's billing system.

Google services & your child's Google Account

If your child has a Google Account, they can use a variety of Google services. Keep in mind that these services generally aren't designed for children.

What parents can't see & do

If you and your child choose to add supervision to their existing Google Account, you won't be able to use Family Link to:

• Remotely see your child's screen
• See your child's past searches
• See your child's Chrome browsing history
• See or reset your child's account password
• Read your child's emails or messages
• Listen to your child's calls
• Delete your child's account
• Choose a new screen lock password on your child's device
• Erase the data on your child's device
• Block your child from stopping supervision
• Link your child's account to Google Home
  • Tip: Regular accounts can connect to Google Home using the Google Home app on their own device.

Important: Your child will not be able to stop supervision until they reach the applicable age to manage their own Google Account.