Google’s Family Link is the built-in way to supervise a child’s Google account on a Chromebook — screen time limits, app approval, and web filtering all live in one place. Here’s how to set it up correctly the first time.
g.co/familylink from your own phone or computer, then sign that account into the Chromebook. Once signed in, manage limits from the Family Link app or myaccount.google.com/family on your own device — not the child’s.Why Set Up Family Link on a Chromebook?
- Set daily screen time limits and a device bedtime
- Approve or block individual apps and Chrome extensions before they install
- Filter explicit websites in Chrome and restrict Google Search results
- See a weekly activity report of app and site usage
- Remotely lock the Chromebook if needed
Step 1: Create the Child’s Supervised Account
- On your own phone or computer (not the Chromebook), go to
g.co/familylinkand sign in with your parent Google account. - Select “Create a new account for your child” and follow the age-appropriate setup flow.
- If your child already has a Google account, choose “Manage your child’s existing account” instead — this converts it to a supervised account without losing their data.
Step 2: Sign the Supervised Account into the Chromebook
- On the Chromebook sign-in screen, select “Add Person.”
- Enter the child’s supervised account email and password.
- Accept the on-device parental supervision prompts that appear during first sign-in — the Chromebook needs explicit consent to apply the same restrictions locally that Family Link enforces in the cloud.
Step 3: Configure Limits from the Family Link App
- On your own device, open the Family Link app (or myaccount.google.com/family on desktop).
- Select your child’s account, then go to Controls > Screen time to set daily limits and a device bedtime.
- Go to Controls > Content restrictions > Google Chrome to choose “Allow all sites,” “Try to block explicit sites,” or “Only allow approved sites.”
- Go to Controls > Apps to require your approval before any new app installs from the Play Store.
Step 4: Handle Approval Requests
When the child tries to install a blocked app or visit a restricted site, you’ll get a push notification on your own device. Approve or deny it from there — there’s no way to bypass this from the Chromebook itself while supervision is active.
Still Not Working?
If restrictions don’t seem to apply after setup, sign the child out and back in on the Chromebook once — supervision settings sync on sign-in, not always instantly in the background. If screen time limits aren’t triggering a lock screen, confirm the Chromebook’s clock and timezone are correct under Settings > Date and time, since Family Link schedules run on device time. For general account issues, see our guide on removing an account from a Chromebook if you need to start over with a fresh sign-in.
FAQ
Can my child remove Family Link themselves?
No, not without your parent account’s approval. Supervised accounts can’t unenroll from Family Link or delete the app from a signed-in Chromebook.
Does Family Link work if the Chromebook is used at school?
School-managed Chromebooks often already have their own device policies from the school’s admin console, which can override or coexist with Family Link depending on how the school configured it. Check with the school’s IT department if settings conflict.
Can I set different limits for different Chromebooks?
Screen time limits apply to the child’s account across all their signed-in devices, not per-device. If you need device-specific rules, that requires a Google Workspace for Education deployment, which is separate from consumer Family Link.
