FamilyAtlasCheck the child account, the particular managed device and the particular rule before assuming Family Link has failed. Google’s daily device limit is not one shared allowance for every Android phone and Chromebook. Unlimited Time exceptions and system apps can also explain use after a limit. A lock, an app limit and a website filter are different controls.
Work through the ten checks below with the device beside you. Record what should happen and test one ordinary app, rather than changing several settings at once. A recent account-password change or a device without internet may require attention before a remote change takes effect. Do not delete the child’s account or factory-reset the phone as an initial troubleshooting step. If the supervised account and supported device are correct but a repeatable rule still fails, take those details to Google support.
Google: Manage your child’s screen time · Google: Provide consent and add supervision
The parent concern
A daily limit can look ineffective when it belongs to another device or excludes the app being tested. Diagnose that mismatch before changing the family’s rules.
1–2. Confirm the child account and the device
In Family Link, select the intended child and compare that account with the account actually used on the child’s device. Then select the correct phone or Chromebook. A similarly named old tablet is not evidence that today’s phone is locked. Google supports device supervision on Android and Chromebook; a child signing into Google on an iPhone does not give Family Link equivalent device-level controls.
3–4. Check device budgets and app exceptions
Under the child’s Screen time > Time limits, inspect the weekly schedule for that device. Google’s example allows the daily budget separately on each Android device or Chromebook. Then review Unlimited Time apps and system-app limitations: not every app can receive a normal app limit. Test a limited entertainment app rather than the phone dialer.
5–6. Check connectivity and account sign-in
Confirm that the device can reach the internet and is signed into the intended supervised account. Reopen Family Link and compare the saved rule with the child’s screen. If the child’s password was recently reset by a parent, Google says the child is notified and signed out; restore legitimate sign-in rather than creating a replacement account.
7–8. Check supervision and account transitions
Review whether supervision is actually active. Reaching 13, or the applicable age in the country, does not itself erase existing supervision: Google’s current guidance says settings remain until the account is updated, and children under 18 need parent approval to stop supervision. Check the account’s real status and any family notices instead of relying on an old age-based assumption.
Google: How Google Accounts work when children reach the applicable age
9–10. Distinguish an offline unlock from a reproducible failure
An offline device can use the parent access code for an authorized unlock. Keep that code under parent control; an approved unlock is not evidence that the rule failed. A locked Android device can still offer emergency calling.
For a persistent failure, record the OS and Family Link versions, child account, device, rule type and test time. Use current Google help for the specific symptom before restarting or updating; avoid destructive account removal. Escalate a reproducible supported-device failure to Google, without posting credentials or child account details publicly.
Google: Manage your child’s screen time
Review the broader parental-control troubleshooting guide · Check why a home-network block cannot cover every connection
What you can do right now
- Check account and device.
- Read today’s device budget.
- Review Unlimited Time and system-app exceptions.
- Check connectivity and supervision.
- Retest one rule and record the result.
A way to start the conversation
“Let’s check which device and which rule this is. If the setting is wrong, we will fix it before assuming you ignored our agreement.”
A suggested script to adapt, not a clinical intervention.
What technology cannot solve
An account-level Google setting is not universal control of every device, network or app. This checklist does not prove a bypass or provide evasion instructions.
Questions parents ask
Is the daily limit shared across two devices?
Google documents a daily limit for each Android device or Chromebook; do not assume one combined family budget.
Does Family Link lock a child’s iPhone?
Signing into Google on an iPhone does not provide the same device supervision as a supported Android device or Chromebook.
Should I delete the account to fix a limit?
No. Record the specific failure and use official troubleshooting first; account removal can lose data and settings.
Sources and review
Provider documentation explains settings and eligibility. Professional guidance provides context, while our suggested family strategies are labeled separately. FamilyAtlas claims were checked against implementation, with release limits stated above.
- Google — Manage your child’s screen time fact · checked 2026-09-30
- Google — Provide consent and add supervision fact · checked 2026-09-30
- Google — Devices you can supervise with Family Link fact · checked 2026-09-30
- Google — How Google Accounts work when children reach the applicable age fact · checked 2026-09-30
Next source review: 2026-12-30. Menus, eligibility and rollouts can change; follow the linked provider instructions if your screen differs.
Written by FamilyAtlas; product descriptions are not independent product recommendations. No claim of medical or psychological review is made.