Android: the parent’s setup guide
Covers Samsung, Pixel, and generic Android. Family Link, Digital Wellbeing, and the sideloading and second-account bypasses every parent should know.
Android parental controls run through Google Family Link, and setting them up needs two things: your own Google account as the parent, and a supervised child account linked to it. Everything else, including app approvals, screen time, content restrictions and location, is configured from the Family Link app on your phone rather than on the child's device. Two bypasses matter most: sideloading, and adding a second account.
What the Android guide covers
Creating a supervised Google account
Android parental controls run through Google Family Link. You need two things: your Google account (the parent), and a supervised child account linked to it.
- On your phone, install Google Family Link.
- Tap + › Add child › Create account. For under-13 kids, Google walks you through a COPPA-compliant flow.
- On the kid’s device, sign in with the new child account. You’ll be prompted to complete supervision.
Family Link configuration
In Family Link on your parent phone, select your child’s profile. Review each section:
- Apps — approve or block specific apps. Set daily time limits per app.
- Screen time — daily limit, plus per-day schedule, plus bedtime.
- Controls › Content restrictions — Play Store rating, YouTube filter (Supervised Experience modes), Search SafeSearch.
- Location — always-on location sharing.
- Parent access code — an approval code for one-off requests.
Play Store and purchases
Open this one rather than assuming it. Google offers four settings for Play Store approvals — “All content”, “Paid content only”, “In-app purchases only” and “Never” — and it is a choice the family manager makes, not something that is on by default. If it is set to Never, nothing your child installs or buys will ever reach you. Set it to All content and it becomes the most useful signal you have about what they are trying to install.
Digital Wellbeing
On Android 9+, Settings › Digital Wellbeing & parental controls adds:
- Focus mode — pause distracting apps for schoolwork.
- Bedtime mode — greyscale + DND to make the phone boring at night.
- App timers — at the kid’s own device level, to pair with Family Link limits.
Samsung-specific notes
Samsung Galaxy devices ship Samsung Kids — a separate mode with its own app library. You can use Kids mode in addition to Family Link for younger children. For teens, stick with Family Link only.
Known bypasses
- Second account — a kid can add their own adult Google account in Settings and sidestep Family Link unless you restrict account adding.
- Sideloading APKs — Android lets users install apps outside Play Store. Disable “Install unknown apps” under Settings › Apps.
- Factory reset — a determined kid can reset the phone. Protect the reset option and your Google account password.
- Time zone / clock change — similar to iOS. Lock system settings.
What was checked, and when. Play Store approval options and the Family Link control set verified against the vendor’s own documentation on 2026-09-08. Not reached in that pass: the Digital Wellbeing menu label.
Common questions
How do I set up parental controls on an Android phone?
Through Google Family Link. Install it on your phone, tap + › Add child › Create account — Google walks you through a COPPA-compliant flow for under-13s — then sign in on your child’s device with that account and complete supervision.
How do kids bypass Family Link?
Four ways, all worth closing in advance: adding their own adult Google account in Settings, sideloading APKs from outside the Play Store, factory-resetting the phone, and changing the clock or time zone. Restrict account adding, disable “Install unknown apps” under Settings › Apps, protect the reset option, and lock system settings.
What can I actually control in Family Link?
Per-app approval and daily time limits, an overall screen-time limit with a per-day schedule and bedtime, content restrictions covering Play Store rating, the YouTube Supervised Experience and SafeSearch, always-on location sharing, and a parent access code for one-off requests.
What is Digital Wellbeing, and do I need it as well?
It sits on the device rather than in Family Link, on Android 9 and later, and complements it. Focus mode pauses distracting apps for schoolwork, Bedtime mode makes the phone deliberately boring with greyscale and Do Not Disturb, and app timers operate at your child’s own level.
Should I use Samsung Kids as well as Family Link?
For younger children, yes — Samsung Kids is a separate mode with its own app library and works alongside Family Link. For teenagers, stick to Family Link on its own.
When parental controls change
Apple, Google and Microsoft rename and move these settings without announcing it. Roughly monthly we send new guides, changes to controls like these, and scams worth knowing about.
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