Google now lets parents take control of teenagers' devices
What's the story
In a bid to ensure online safety for the family members, Google has extended its Family Link device management feature to teenagers.
The expanded capabilities would allow parents to get more involved in the smartphone activity of young adults.
However, there is a catch. The controls under the Family Link program won't be established unless the teens have provided consent to be monitored.
Family Link
What exactly is Family Link?
Last year, Google introduced Family Link as part of an effort to ensure kids younger than 13 safely interacted with their smartphones.
It allowed parents to monitor device activity of their children, including their total screen-on time, the apps they used, and their location. When kids spent more time on phones, parents also had the option to lock them out or change their passwords.
Details
Same for teenagers?
Though the same features have been extended to the teen accounts as well, Google has added the element of consent. In short, they have been given a choice to decide if they should be monitored.
If teens don't permit, they don't have to share their account password for supervision. And if they do, they'll always have the option to opt out.
Caveats
Caveats of Family Link for teens
Teenagers consenting for Family Link should also know that while parents will be monitoring their smartphone activity, they won't have full control.
Unlike the case of kids, they won't be able to change your passwords or devices. In addition, if you have been locked out for crossing the screen time limit, you can always log back in, which would simply notify your parents.
Upcoming features
Future Family Link improvements
Google expanded Family Link features after receiving a phenomenal response from parents. As the next step, the company plans to enable the control hub in nearly all countries.
It also plans to integrate it with Google Assistant, which would allow parents to use voice commands to lock, locate their kid's device.
Finally, Google will ensure Chromebook support, allowing parents to manage websites, apps usage.