Table of contents:
Do you want to put filters in Chrome for your children to browse safely from their mobile? Or do you want to limit the time they spend using the web browser? You will find that the Google Chrome app no longer has parental control options, as it does with other Google apps. But don't worry, there is a solution.
Android phones have an option that allows you to configure parental control on the device, including Chrome dynamics. Provides a series of settings to apply filters and limit certain activities, according to the needs of your children.
So before applying filters and limits in Chrome, you will have to go through a small configuration that enables parental control on the device. We show you how to do this whole process.
How to set up parental controls on Android
To start this configuration, you will have to use Digital Wellbeing that you will find in the mobile Settings. In a Xiaomi mobile you will find it as "Digital Wellbeing and parental control" and in Samsung as "Digital Health and parental controls"
Once you enter this section, choose the option "Configure parental control" to start the process using Google Family Link functions. You will see that it contemplates two situations:
- If you are setting up parental control on your child's mobile.
- Or if you want to use your mobile to remotely control your child's device.
In this case, we will focus on the first option, so the choice is “Child or adolescent”. From there, Google will give you a series of instructions to complete the process, which are summarized in two main steps:
- Link your child's Google account. So you will have to write your Gmail address, and if you don't have an account yet, create it in a few seconds from the same interface.
- Determine from which Google account (your Gmail address) you are going to monitor your child's activity
Once you complete those two steps on your child's mobile, you can create a Google family group to configure parental controls, including Chrome. It only remains to download the Google Link app on your mobile and you will see that you already have your child added to the family group
One detail to keep in mind is that Google's parental control process and permissions may vary depending on the age of your child.
How to configure parental control for Chrome on mobile
Open the Google Family Link app on your mobile, go to the Family Group section and choose your child's profile.
You will see that you have many settings available to control your child's activity on mobile. In this case, we will focus on Google Chrome.
How can you control the web pages your child visits ? Or how can you block certain web pages? It is simple:
- Go to the "Settings" section (or "Manage settings" if you have already used the app)
- Choose "Google Chrome Filters" and you will see that you have different options to control the activity in the web browser
In this section, you can block or allow your children to visit certain websites. For example:
- "Allow all sites" does not mean that you have absolute freedom, as you can create a list of websites that you cannot visit. So your child can visit all sites, except the blocked ones
- "Allow only certain websites" means that they will only be able to view authorized sites
To set these limits you just have to select "Manage websites" which will give you options to create lists of blocked or allowed sites.
When your children try to open a blocked website, they will see a message like "Ask a parent for permission." Of course, this is not final, you can change the filters as many times as you want.
Another detail that allows you to configure Android parental control is the time your children spend on Chrome. To do this, just follow these steps:
- Go to the "Use of applications" section, you will find a list of all the apps installed on your child's mobile
- Choose the "Limit" tab to set the period of time allowed
- Select “Google Chrome” from the list and click on the hourglass icon to see the option “Define limit”
Every time you add a time limit to an app, it will be displayed on the main Family Link screen along with the time that is still available.
They are controls that are easy to configure and can be customized according to the needs of each member of the family.
