How to set up parental controls on Android

Android parental controls come in two parts: Google Family Link, which manages screen time, apps and purchases, and a content layer for the open web, which Family Link only partly covers. Set up Family Link first, then close the adult-content gap. The whole thing takes about fifteen minutes.

1. Install Family Link and supervise the account

Family Link needs a Google account for your child and the device on Android 6.0 or higher. On the child's device, head to Settings, then Google, then All services, then Parental controls, tap "Let's do this", and follow the prompts to supervise the account. You enter your own email and password to become the admin and confirm your child's password to finish. Install the Family Link app on your own phone to manage everything remotely from there.

2. Set screen-time limits and downtime

Open Family Link, select your child, tap Screen time, then Time limits, and turn on a daily limit to establish a healthy ceiling. Then set up Downtime or a schedule so the phone locks automatically overnight and during school. Consistent limits you can hold beat strict limits you cannot, so start realistic and tighten later.

3. Set app limits, and block or allow apps

Family Link lets you cap time on specific apps or block them entirely, and decide which apps your child can install or buy. Turn on approval for new downloads so nothing arrives without your say-so, and review the app list together now and then. Involving your child in which apps stay and go makes the limits stick.

4. Filter Google Play and YouTube content

Set the highest content rating you are comfortable with for Google Play, so age-inappropriate apps, games, films and books are filtered out of the store. Apply YouTube restrictions through Family Link too. This handles a lot, but note what it does not handle well: adult websites in the browser. That is the gap to close next.

5. Add a dedicated adult-content blocker

Family Link's web filtering is limited, so adult sites can still slip through the browser. This is exactly what a dedicated blocker is for. Appcognito blocks over 750,000 known adult sites on-device across every app and browser, plus any apps or keywords you add, and locks it behind your own code with reboot-proof uninstall protection. It does this without tracking location or reading messages, so you close the biggest content gap without turning Family Link into surveillance.

Family Link for time and apps, a dedicated blocker for adult content, and a conversation for everything else.

A quick safety note

Android settings change over time, so check the current steps in Google's official Family Link help. Controls reduce exposure but do not replace conversation, so keep talking with your child and make it safe for them to come to you. This guide is general information, not professional advice.

Related guides: Roblox parental controls, how to block adult content on a child's Android phone, or see Appcognito's parental controls.