When you use Family Link to manage your child's Google account, you can let them sign in to some Google services on their Chromebook. You can also use the Family Link app to choose what websites your child can access using Chrome, supervise your child's app usage, and more.
System requirements
Family Link can be used with Chromebooks with Chrome OS versions 71 or higher. Learn more about how to update your Chromebook’s operating system.
How Chromebooks work with your child’s Google Account
Children signed in to their Google Account on a Chromebook have a similar experience to adults. Features may be updated from time to time, but some differences include:
- Children can't browse in private.
- You can manage which websites children can visit and limit their ability to grant permissions to websites.
- You can set Chrome to block most sexually explicit and violent sites.
- You need Chrome Sync to use some parental management features. Note that your child can turn off certain kinds of data collection when sync is on.
- Your child's Google Activity controls may allow Google to use Chrome browsing history and activity from websites to personalize your child’s experience across Google products and services. However, this info won't be used to personalize ads for children under 13 (or the applicable age in your country).
Important: For school accounts and school-issued Chromebooks, Google Workspace for Education administrators determine which Google services their users can access while signed into a Google Workspace for Education account. This may include some features or services that your child was previously unable to access using the Family Link supervised account. Learn how to add a school account as a secondary account.
Add your child’s Google Account
- Set up the Chromebook.
- Add your child’s Google Account to the Chromebook.
Important: After your child is signed in to their Chromebook, a parent’s password is required to add new users.
- Add your child’s Google Account to the Chromebook.
- Important: If you’ve added supervision to your child’s existing Google Account, they’ll need to restart the Chromebook to finish adding supervision and regain access to some Google services.
- Recommended: If you (the parent) are the Chromebook’s owner account, disable guest mode and control who can sign in to your child's Chromebook. If you allow guest mode or the addition of new users your child may be able to use their Chromebook without Family Link settings applying.
Remove your child's Google Account
- On the Chromebook sign-in screen, select the profile you want to remove.
- Next to the profile name, select the Down arrow
.
- Select Remove this user.
- In the box that appears, select Remove this user.
Important: If you delete your child's account before you remove the profile from the Chromebook, you may have to reset your Chromebook to factory settings. To reset, press and hold Ctrl + Alt + Shift + r.
Manage your child’s experience on a Chromebook
You can choose what apps your child can use on their Chromebook and what permissions your child provides to those apps.
- Open the Family Link app
.
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings
Google Chrome.
- Choose the setting that’s right for your family:
- Allow all sites: Your child will be able to visit all sites, except the ones you block.
- Try to block explicit sites: No filter is perfect, but this should help hide sexually explicit and violent sites.
- Only allow approved sites: Your child will only be able to visit the sites you allow.
- Tap Manage sites to manually allow or block certain sites.
Tip: You can also manage this setting by clicking on your child's name at g.co/YourFamily.
If you block a certain site, your child can ask for parental permission to visit it. You'll get a notification in the Family Link app where you can approve or deny their request.
- Websites: If you block or allow a specific website, like
www.google.com, the permission won't apply to sites that begin or end differently, likewww.google.co.ukorget.google.com/tips. - Domains: If you block or allow an entire domain, like
google, the permission applies to sites that begin or end differently too, likegoogle.com, andimages.google.fr.
Block or allow a site
- Open the Family Link app
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings
- In the bottom right corner, tap Create
.
- Add a website or domain.
- In the top left, tap Close
.
Tip: You can also manage this setting by clicking on your child's name at g.co/YourFamily.
You can decide whether your child can give site permissions to websites they visit, including permission to use location, camera, and notifications.
- Open the Family Link app
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings
- Turn "Permissions for sites and apps" on or off.
Tip: You can also manage this setting by clicking on your child's name on the Chrome dashboard.
When "Permissions for sites and apps" is off, children won’t be able to grant permissions to websites. However, permissions they have already granted will still be in place.
See or delete your child’s Chrome history
Important: If you added supervision to your child’s previously existing Google Account, you’ll need their help to do this.
- On your child's Chromebook, open Chrome
.
- In the top right, select More
Browsing history
- Open the Family Link app
- Select your child.
- Tap Manage settings
- In the "History" section, tap Clear history.
Tip: Your child's Google Account might have other kinds of browsing history saved at myactivity.google.com.
Browsing data
You can clear your child's browsing data, like cookies, saved passwords, and autofill form data.
If you sync a type of data, deleting it on your computer will delete it everywhere it's synced. It'll be removed from other devices and your Google Account.
Important: If you added supervision to your child’s previously existing Google Account, you’ll need their help to do this.
- On your child's Chromebook, open Chrome
- At the top right, click More
.
- Click More tools
- Choose a time range, like last hour or all time.
- Select the types of info you want to remove.
- Click Clear data.