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This exploit can bypass Android's parental controls for web browsing
A hidden browser makes it possible to surf the web freely without parental restrictions
Not all content on the web is safe for children. Google’s parental controls, part of Family Link, are a way to reduce exposure to potentially harmful content on children’s Android and ChromeOS devices, with parents in control of what apps and websites kids can visit. A recently discovered exploit might make it possible to fully circumvent any browsing restrictions thanks to a hidden browser, though.
Your favorite Family Link features are now easier to access than ever
Keep track of the whole family's location at once
Google Family Link has been around for a few years now, helping parents control how their children use technology to explore digital platforms and spaces. However, for as well-meaning and ambitious as it is, the app has left quite a bit to be desired, as we found out last year. Google finally looks like it's starting to take the needed steps to really improve Family Link now, introducing a redesigned user interface for parents, and a couple of new features for helping keep children safe in the real world.
Google's Family Link accounts aren't as restrictive as they used to be — but they still kind of suck
I locked myself into a Google child account for a week — these are the limitations and workarounds I discovered
Children under the age of 13 can't create an unsupervised Google account for themselves. Instead, parents have to set up the accounts for them using Family Link, which is supposed to give them a lot of control over what apps and games kids can get, how much screentime they're allowed, and which websites they can visit. Parents can even get a streamlined overview of their kids' app usage à la Digital Wellbeing. But what does it feel like to sit on the receiving end of the system? Needless to say, kids seem to hate the service, and they're vocal about it; the Family Link for kids app has a staggering average rating of 1.4 stars on the Play Store.
Google accounts for kids can now finally sign into third-party apps
Parents can allow or deny the sign-in request
Not too long ago, I locked myself into a Google child account as an experiment and quickly ran into a whole lot of restrictions, some more questionable than others. Among the less understandable ones was the fact that I couldn't use the account to log into any third-party apps, which renders applications that only rely on this login method useless to me (and, you know, actual kids). Google is finally changing that. The company has sent out an email informing Family Link managers that they can now allow their children to sign into third-party apps.
New Family Link options make parents' lives easier, but key features are still missing
Lots of steps in the right direction
Apart from launching a new family website on families.google today, Google has also formally announced some improvements to its parental controls tool Family Link. While it still isn't as balanced, fair, and powerful as we would like it to be, the new features bring quality of life improvements for parents.
Google Play Family Link now supports app-specific exemptions to daily max usage
Less drastic restrictions for kids, finally
Family Link allows kids to use Android phones before they can have their own full Google accounts at the age of 13, but there are some drastic limitations attached to the solution. Parents have full control over everything kids do on their phones and can set strict usage and bedtime limits. However, many parents (and kids) have lobbied that some apps should remain available to kids regardless of how long they've used their phone, especially ones important for homework and communication with parents, and it looks like Google has finally listened: It has introduced a new always allow option for apps.
Your children's Google accounts will soon have access to the real YouTube
YouTube Music for kids is in the pipeline, too!
For parents, the dilemma of whether or not to set up your kids' Google account as a child account, and suffer the consequences, is real. Google is finally acknowledging that one of the biggest downsides of that experience is being tied to YouTube Kids. The company just announced that it will soon start testing "supervised experiences," which will allow parents to let their tweens and teens access YouTube in a controlled manner.
Google Family Link allows parents to administer their children's devices, granularly controlling which apps they can install, how much time they can spend on their phones, and when it's time to put their tech down before bed. In an update to the service, Google has introduced new options, now letting parents set up per-app time limits and add bonus time before the nightly shutdown.
When Family Link launched in March of 2017, the service would only work if a parent created a new Google account for their child inside the app. For parents who had already opened an account for their children, there was no solution except scrap everything and start fresh. Google said it was exploring solutions, but we didn't hear much about it after that.
Google has split Family Link into two applications. Previously, the parental control service was offered in a single app which was installed on the devices of parents and children alike. The existing listing has now become Family Link for parents and a second app, Family Link for children and teens, has been introduced. After installing the latter on a child's device, parents can control it directly from their dedicated app.
Family Link, Google's set of parental management tools for their children's Android accounts, has received positive feedback since its U.S. launch in September 2017, leaving parents in unsupported countries eagerly awaiting the service. Thankfully for them (or at least, most of them), the wait is soon to be over, now that Google has announced it will roll Family Link out to "nearly every country in the world" over the coming days.
Google Family Link, a way for parents to create supervised/limited accounts for their children, has been slowly rolling out to more regions over the past year. It's largely feature-complete at this point, but there's still one pressing issue - it doesn't work with Google Play Games at all. Child accounts are unable to log into Play Games, which prevents many titles from saving progress - and some from working at all.
People in all countries have kids, so it's a bit disheartening when a feature launches for families and it's limited to the US. That was the story with Family Link last year, which was only available in the US at first. However, the parental control service started expanding shortly after, adding Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, then Canada this past February. We might have missed the memo too, because it added a few more countries between then and now (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Mexico, UK). That made the total eleven, but now Family Link is expanding to 26 new countries, all in the EU.