Thankfully, creating a Google account for your child is not as difficult as it was a few years ago. Earlier, parents had to deliberately enter incorrect information claiming their children to be 18+ when they actually were less.
Now, Google has allowed creating the Google accounts for children below the age of 13. Parents can easily manage and monitor the activities of their children through Family Link. Family Link is like a parental control that can help you guide your child towards good online content.
However, it isn’t as good as it may look because children can lift up certain restrictions set up by you for their Google account. It gets handy for tech-savvy children to install apps without your prior permission. To know all about creating or managing your child’s Google account, continue reading.
Creating a Google Account
Creating a Google Account for your child is a swift affair. You can create your child’s Google account on your existing device or smartphone or on a brand new Android device or on a chromebook. But before you create an account, it is imperative that you agree to the certain terms and conditions or consent as a parent.
This is the first step where you will choose your child’s digital exposure to apps and other content. Basically, restrictions for children who are below the age of 13 will have more restraints compared to the ones who are above 13.
When you create a Google account for your child, you are allowing him/her to do things her own way but at the same time, you are holding them back from exploring 100% of a few aspects or things available online.
Whenever, there is an activity through your child’s account, you will be notified through an email. Also, making changes or altering settings in a child’s Google account is only possible through a parent’s account.
Google Account and YouTube
If you have already purchased a YouTube family plan and you are ready to give access to your child for the same then, you will not be able to do so. Are you wondering why? Well, when you create a child’s Google account, your child will only be able to access YouTube Kids. Even if you are willing and ready to share your family plans or YouTube Music with your child, the annoying fact is, your child may only be able to use YouTube Kids.
Furthermore, if your child wishes to access YouTube Music for educational purposes, they may not be able to explicitly use it. Only the content that is marked child-safe by the teacher or owner of the video will be displayed to your child. If in any case, an informative content on YouTube Music isn’t marked child-safe, it won’t be displayed on your child’s account.
Google Account and Games
Kids love playing games on smartphones or tablets or on any other digital device. But if you have created a Google Account for your child and you are expecting them to play effortlessly or sync their gaming progress using their account, then you might be wrong here.
Google’s comprehensive gaming tool “Play Games” isn’t available for kids below the age of 13. This makes it quite difficult for your child to save or sync its progress. Everytime your kid resumes playing, he/she will have to start over from the beginning.
It is because their high scores or records or progress in the game will not be saved. However, this issue can be escaped or handled if the game developer has offered in-built features to save or sync the progress within the game. Many of the parents prefer sharing Stadia games with their children. For this, you just need to activate Family Sharing in the settings.
Google Account and In-app purchases
In-app purchases and purchased apps are two different things. Purchased apps will be automatically shared by all Google family members while in-app purchases are a bit different. If you are making in-app purchases from your account, there is no guarantee that your kids will be able to enjoy the benefits of the same and eventually you will be forced to spend more money on in-app purchases. But if you are making in-app purchases from your child’s account, he/she can enjoy the benefits. However, a downside of doing this is that if you have more than one kid, you will have to make separate in-app purchases for each child.
Google Account and Third-party apps
There are certain apps that can be used only with a Google or Facebook account authentication. If you have created a Google account for your child then you should know that Google accounts for children do not support third-party logins. Although the apps that use such an authentication are limited but still you can bump into one.
The Bottom Line
We are living in an era where everything happens on digital devices. In such a condition, having a Google account for your child becomes important. However, for younger kids, this can come as a complex task. The restrictions and limitations can annoy parents let alone kids.
But the bright side is that Google is working towards expanding its boundaries by still keeping children safe on these platforms. Despite these issues, a Google account is a fabulous deal. It will help you keep a close check on your child’s online activities and digital safety. Hence, before you create a Google account, make sure you go through above mentioned points well.
