What you need to know
- Google details its coming parental feature for “select” Android devices, tablets, and Samsung Galaxy watches known as “School Time.”
- Parents can set the days, times, and apps their child can use during School Time, locking the rest of the device away until after.
- Google is also introducing some additional “safety settings” for all users under 18 that can give a little peace of mind.
- The company recently started rolling Gemini availability out to teen users following its 1.5 Flash model.
With back-to-school looming, Google is detailing a new feature for Android that helps give parents peace of mind about their child and their phone.
Arriving for select Android phones, tablets, and Samsung Galaxy Watches is Google’s latest highlighted feature “School Time.” In a Keyword post, School Time plays off a feature Fitbit rolled out for the Ace LTE devices that helps parents limit the screen time available for their child’s phone.
Parents can set a start and end time for the school feature alongside the days it should be active.
When School Time is active, your child’s device will be locked down. Parents can leverage Family Link to set what apps their kids can use during learning hours. Your child can tap the “available apps” button to see a comprehensive list of what’s useable at the time.
Android Central has reached out to Google to find out which specific devices are receiving this feature and will update this post when more information becomes available.
Parents can also set a specific list of contacts their child can text or call when School Time is enabled once the time to return begins. School Time will roll out on select devices “over the next year.”
Additionally, Google highlighted a few extra parental tools that can be used as styles and rules change with your child’s growth. Parents and teens will soon be able to link their accounts so the former can see the latter’s watch history. This is on tap to roll out “later this summer.” Family Link’s scope is expanding to encompass teens to let parents limit their exposure to certain apps or products.
All users under 18 will have “safety settings” in place. This means SafeSearch will be enabled and auto-play on YouTube will be turned off.
Google announced its 1.5 Flash model for Gemini in late July, which boasted more accuracy and quicker response times. That debut was joined by the company’s expansion of its AI bot to teen users and the school system. Those at least 13 years old can utilize Gemini’s smarts when searching for information for papers or help with math homework.
Similar to its new safety settings for those under 18, Gemini’s availability to teen users comes with a set of guardrails. Gemini won’t expose such users to “inappropriate content” when answering questions. Gemini will also display chips — pop-up buttons that contain context-sensitive information — following AI responses so users can fact-check them.
