Google Family Link app is now available in SA

Every parent’s dream app has arrived in South Africa. Called Family Link and created by Google, the app gives parents more control over their children’s smartphone habits. The short version? No more illicit Netflix for little Jenny after 22:00 any more.

Family Link helps parents keep track of their children’s smartphone activities while also offering a remote control function. A parent can, for example, place a lock on a phone at scheduled times to make sure the whippersnappers are getting enough sleep, or not using the device at school.

It essentially lets users digitally manage what their children are up to by monitoring what Google Accounts, devices and apps they are using. Users can limit device usage by configuring a maximum number of hours that the little ones are allowed to spend on the internet.

Family Link even permits users to view weekly and monthly activity reports. The thing is —  the app is only available on Android, and all devices connected to it must be running on Android Nougat 7.0 or beter.

The app is available to download for free from the Google Play store and is easy to set up. That is, until your child figures out how to hack themselves out of the limitations. Or download a VPN…