How to Set Screen Time Limits on Android for Kids (Step by Step)

TL;DR: The free, built-in way to limit your child's Android screen time is Google Family Link: install it on both phones, link your child's Google account, then set daily limits and a bedtime under Controls. For per-app limits, uninstall protection, and web filtering, add a dedicated parental control app — or use Truvella, which is built around transparent limits both you and your child can see.

This guide gives you the exact menu paths — on the phone and in the apps — because "open settings and enable limits" tutorials are exactly as useless as they sound.

Option 1: Google Family Link (free, built-in)

Family Link is Google's official parental control layer for Android. It handles daily limits, bedtimes, app approval, and location.

Setup (one time, ~10 minutes)

1. On your phone: install Google Family Link (parent version) from the Play Store.
2. On your child's phone: install Family Link (child version). If the child is under 13, create their Google account through Family Link — it automatically becomes a supervised account.
3. Open the parent app → Add child → follow the linking steps (the child phone shows a pairing code).

Set daily limits

1. Family Link parent app → tap your child's name → Controls → Daily limits.
2. Tap Add limit → set the total daily allowance (e.g., 1h weekdays, 2h weekends — you can configure per-day).
3. Under Bedtime, set when the phone locks overnight (e.g., 8:30 PM – 7:00 AM).

Per-app limits and instant pause

• App limits: Controls → App limits → pick the app (TikTok, YouTube) → set the daily cap.
• Instant lock: your child's card → Lock device — handy at dinnertime.
• Approve downloads: Controls → Content restrictions → require approval for new app installs.

Option 2: A dedicated parental control app

Family Link covers the basics well, especially for under-13s. Parents usually upgrade for three reasons:

1. Uninstall/bypass protection. Family Link can be removed or worked around by a determined teen (Safe Mode tricks, changing the date). Apps like Qustodio, Bark, or Net Nanny add device-admin protection — see our honest comparison.
2. Better reporting. Weekly summaries of which apps consumed the most time, not just enforcement.
3. Content layer. Web filtering and message-safety alerts on top of time limits.

Our own take: Truvella pairs limits with a child-visible dashboard, so the rules are a shared family agreement rather than a secret constraint — join the waitlist if that fits how your family works.

Recommended starting limits

Age	School day	Weekend	Notes
6–9	30–60 min	1–2 h	Co-view when possible
10–12	1 h	2 h	No devices during homework hour
13–15	1–2 h	2–3 h	Involve them in setting limits
16+	Negotiated	Negotiated	Shift from limits to shared goals

A limit your child helps set gets complied with far more than one imposed cold. Digital Wellbeing on their phone (Settings → Digital Wellbeing) is useful for showing usage during that conversation.

Troubleshooting

• "The limit isn't being enforced." On Samsung devices: Settings → Battery → Unrestricted for Family Link; battery optimizers kill background enforcement silently.
• "My child changed the time zone/date to get more time." This is a known Family Link gap — it's exactly the kind of bypass that dedicated apps with device-admin rights prevent.
• "YouTube Kids vs YouTube." Limiting the YouTube app doesn't affect a browser opened to youtube.com; block the browser or use an app with web filtering.

FAQ

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Family Link gets most families 80% of the way there for free. Add a dedicated app when your child outgrows it — and whatever tool you use, pair it with a conversation; limits without context turn into an arms race.