Here’s what Family Link gives you on Android:
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App activity & usage tracking
• You’ll see daily and weekly reports of which apps they open and for how long.
• You can set daily time limits per app (or totally block certain apps). -
Screen time limits
• Create a device bedtime so the phone locks automatically each night.
• Grant extra time on-the-fly right from your own device. -
Location sharing
• With their phone on and location enabled, you get real-time maps of where they are.
• You can also see last-known location if the phone’s offline briefly. -
Website filtering & blocking
• Enforce a safe-search filter in Chrome.
• Block categories (e.g. “mature sites”) or specific URLs you don’t want them to visit.
Tips & limits
– Family Link can’t silently take screenshots or read messages, so it’s more about guiding healthy habits than full surveillance.
– Kids savvy enough can sometimes toggle settings if they find workarounds, so pair it with honest conversations.
Android note: Family Link is solid and free, but it isn’t quite as seamless or stable as Apple’s Screen Time. You may hit occasional sync delays or fiddly permission prompts.
If you ever move the family to iOS, Apple’s built-in Screen Time (under Settings > Screen Time > Family) offers the same controls—plus reliable iCloud syncing, per-app downtime scheduling, content-&-privacy restrictions, and easy activity reports—without ever needing a separate app.