GoKawiilMishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR Android’s built-in parental controls are expanding and will be available on devices updating to Android 17.
Parents can manage screen time, app access, content restrictions, and bedtime schedules directly from Android settings, with deeper controls available through Family Link.
Google is also investing over $50 million in digital wellbeing initiatives to promote healthier technology habits and address social isolation among young people.
Giving a child a smartphone often comes with an unspoken second job: constantly figuring out how much screen time is too much. Google is trying to simplify that process by making Android’s built-in parental controls available on a much wider range of devices.
The company first rolled out Android’s built-in parental controls on Pixel phones last year with the Android 16 QPR2 release. Now, these features are being extended to devices that will update to Android 17, putting more screen-time and app-management tools directly into parents’ hands.
The idea here is to make it easier for parents to set boundaries without turning every screen-time discussion into a negotiation. From a single settings menu, parents can set daily device limits, schedule automatic lockouts during bedtime hours, and restrict access to apps or content they deem age-inappropriate.
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For instance, a parent could allow a child two hours of recreational screen time on weekdays, automatically disable the phone after bedtime, and place stricter limits on attention-grabbing apps such as social media or video platforms. It’s a more structured approach than simply taking the device away when things get out of hand.
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