(U.S.) – Family Link, Google’s parental control software now includes new features that allow parents to limit screen time per app, instead of the device as a whole, and extend screen time as needed more easily.
Google first announced the planned updates during the Google I/O developer conference in May. Officials explained the goal is to make Family Link a more complete parental control and screen-time solution. According to the announcement on the Google blog, developers designed updates to give parents the ability to set app-specific time limits, noting “not all screen-time is created equal.”
While still under continued development, Family Link now comes built-in to Android devices with Android 10 and up, and it can be downloaded as a standalone app from Google Play if you don’t have it available. The parental controls already had the capability to set device “bedtimes,” track activity per app, set daily limits, view the device’s location on the map and ring it, etc. Now, however, it allows parents to more narrowly define how a child’s screen time should be used.
Google officials also noted that since 2017, 67% of parents were worried about the amount of time their kids were spending on devices. They explained that they’ve kept that in mind and tailored the updates to ensure the time a family spends on technology is the best it can possibly be.
Another rollout with the new update is ‘bonus time,’ which allows parents to increase the amount of screen time in a one-off situation. For example, if your child is working on a project or in the middle of an educational app and just needs a few more minutes, you are now able to grant that extra time without having to disable the screen-time setting. You’ll be notified that time is running out with warnings at 15 minutes, 5 minutes, and one minute.
More information about the Family Link services and the new updates can be found here.