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Chromebook: the parent’s setup guide

Covers personal Chromebooks and the (limited) controls you have on school-issued ones.

Device guide·Last reviewed 2026-04-22·2 min read·by Lexeprint Inc.
Illustration of a Chromebook laptop
Heads up. If the Chromebook is school-issued, your parent controls may be limited. See our school-device guide for what you can and can’t change.

Family Link on Chromebook

Supervised Google accounts carry over to Chromebook. On first login, your kid’s account is supervised by Family Link and most controls apply:

  • Screen time limits on the whole device (set in Family Link on your phone).
  • Website allow/blocklist.
  • SafeSearch enforced.
  • Play Store install approvals.
  • Incognito mode disabled.

Setup walkthrough

  1. On the Chromebook login screen, click Add Person and sign in with the child’s supervised account.
  2. Complete the Family Link prompt on your phone.
  3. In Family Link, select your child › Controls › Content restrictions › Chrome.
  4. Choose: Allow all sites / Try to block mature sites / Only approved sites.
  5. Under Google Search & Assistant, keep SafeSearch on.
  6. Under Apps, approve or block each Android app and extension.

Chrome extensions to worry about

Supervised users can install extensions from the Chrome Web Store by default. These can be used to bypass filters (proxies, VPNs). In Family Link, block extensions, or spot-check the extensions list weekly. If the Chromebook is school-issued, the school’s admin policy usually already blocks this.

Screen time

Family Link screen-time limits work on Chromebook the same way they do on Android. When time’s up, the Chromebook locks.

Known limitations

  • Supervision only works for children under a child Google account. An older teen using an adult Google account cannot be supervised the same way.
  • Guest mode on a personal Chromebook bypasses supervision. Disable guest browsing: Settings › Security and sign-in › Enable guest browsing — off.