Google has announced some new features that can help parents keep track of their kids' online activities. Android smartphones/tablets and Wear OS smartwatches will soon get a new feature from Google called School Time, which will limit kids' interactions with their devices “to promote a productive learning environment.”
Android phones and tablets and Wear OS Galaxy Watches to get School Time feature
Earlier this year, Google introduced the Fitbit Ace LTE for kids, which has some good parental supervision features. Now, it is bringing those features to Android and Wear OS devices. Google will soon roll out the School Time feature to Android smartphones and tablets and Galaxy Watches running Wear OS. Those features are coming to Galaxy phones and tablets and the following Galaxy Watches:
- Galaxy Watch 4
- Galaxy Watch 4 Classic
- Galaxy Watch 5
- Galaxy Watch 5 Pro
- Galaxy Watch 6
- Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
- Galaxy Watch 7
- Galaxy Watch Ultra
When the School Time feature is enabled, Android phones and Wear OS smartwatches will show a dark home screen with limited functionality during the set time. Google's aim is to limit kids' device interaction during school and study hours. Using Google's Family Link app, parents can set which apps their kids can use and whom they can communicate with through calls and messages. They can enable or disable School Time on the fly.
Phones with active School Time mode will display the “This device is locked until xx:xx AM/PM” message on the screen. While Google didn't have an example for Samsung's Galaxy Watches, they might also display a similar message on their screen. This new feature will roll out to select Android smartphones, tablets, and Galaxy Watches later this summer.
Over the past couple of years, Google has been continuously improving its ecosystem (Android, Android TV, ChromeOS, and Wear OS) for kids and teens. Earlier, since Android had no such features for kids, Samsung had to develop a Kids Mode for its phones and tablets.
Later this summer, Google will roll out an option for parents and teens to link their accounts so that parents can monitor their kids' online activity on YouTube. Moreover, Family Link supervision can be enabled for all ages, allowing parents to keep track of their kids' screen time and location sharing.
