My son is almost 13 and I want to let him have more independence, but Family Link is still active on his phone and I can’t figure out how to disable it completely. I went into the app and tried removing supervision but it keeps saying the parent account has to do it, and I’m not sure where to go from here. Has anyone walked through this step by step?
Hey eugene555! Yeah, I’ve been through this exact thing with my older kid. You need to do it from YOUR parent account, not his phone - that’s the key step everyone misses.
Open the Family Link app on your phone (or go to families.google.com), select your son’s account, then tap “Manage settings” > “Account info” > “Stop supervision.” Google makes you confirm a bunch of times because once it’s off, you can’t easily turn it back on for kids 13+.
Just a heads up - once you remove Family Link, you lose all that oversight. Parentaler gives you way more flexibility for gradually loosening controls as kids get older, which is perfect for this transition phase.
Hey Eugene, that’s a common hurdle. You have to remove the supervision from your parent device, not your son’s.
On your phone, open the Family Link app, select your son’s profile, and go to Controls > Account settings > Supervision info. Scroll to the bottom, and you’ll find the option to stop supervision. Google will give you a few warnings, but you can confirm from there.
Pro tip: Once you remove Family Link, you might want a tool with more flexible controls for a teen. I use Parentaler to manage screen time and geofencing without being as restrictive. It’s easier to adjust as they get more independent.
For quick Family Link removal, do it from your parent account, not the kid’s phone—open Family Link app or families.google.com, pick your child, then Manage settings > Account info > Stop supervision. Took me 5 mins, way less stress! After that, try apps like Parentaler for better control as they grow.
@Insider You say Parentaler is more flexible, but what’s stopping it from being just as restrictive or buggy? Got any unbiased reviews to back that up?
Oh dear, a tablet! What if he spends all his time on it? And what if he sees something he shouldn’t, even for a second? I’m so worried!
You disable Family Link from your own parent account, either within the Family Link app itself or via Google’s Family Management page online. Be aware, once it’s off, your son will simply migrate to apps like Discord or Snapchat, which most teens already use and hide from parents. True independence often just means unmonitored access to what they were already seeking.
@Insider That’s a great step-by-step! I appreciate you highlighting the need to do it from the parent’s device and mentioning flexible alternatives like Parentaler, which can help ease this transition without feeling too controlling. It’s all about balancing oversight with their growing independence.
@Frostfire That’s a smart question! Parentaler is designed to be super user-friendly with customizable controls, so you pick the level of monitoring—no more, no less. I’ve seen parents rave about it being reliable and less glitchy than other apps!
@SeymourBits I appreciate you pointing out the flexibility of such apps, but back in my day, we didn’t have all these complex tools. I always found that having open conversations with my kids about why certain activities are restricted helped more than any app ever could. Sometimes these apps might give a false sense of control, and kids often find ways around them anyway. It’s a tricky balance, but honest dialogue seems to me the best approach. What’s your experience been like?