How to Make a Google Account for Kids

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

This wikiHow teaches you how to create a Google account for a child under the age of 13, both through Google's Family Link and by setting up a supervised account in Google Chrome.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Creating a Family Link Account

1
Make sure you have the prerequisites available. Google's Family Link lets you create an account for your child that you can monitor via your Android device. In addition to needing to live in the United States, you'll need the following items to create a Family Link account:^{[1]
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- An Android phone running KitKat or higher.
- A brand-new (or factory-reset) Android running Nougat
- A Google account of your own
2
Go to the Family Link website. You'll find it at https://families.google.com/familylink/.

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3
Click GET STARTED. It's a blue button in the middle of the page.
4
Click REQUEST INVITE. Doing so will take you to an account page to ensure you're using the correct account.
5
Click GET STARTED again. You'll do this in the middle of the page.
- If you aren't currently signed into a Google account, first click SIGN IN in the middle of the page and enter your email address and password.
- If needed, first click Use a different account? and select a different email account (or enter the details for one).
6
Confirm that you meet the prerequisites for an account. To do so, you'll click Yes below a question, click the right-facing arrow, and repeat the process for each subsequent question.
7
Click FINISH UP. Doing so will send a request for an invite to the Family Link beta; once you're approved, you'll sign into the Family Link app (Google will provide you with access), create an account for you child, and get them set up with Google Family Link on their Android 7 device.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Creating a Supervised Account in Chrome

1
Open the Google Chrome browser. This app is a red, green, yellow, and blue circle-shaped icon.
- You'll need to be logged into Google Chrome with your Google account to create a supervised user. To log in, click the tab on the top-right side of the Chrome window, then click Sign in and enter your Google account credentials. If the tab displays your name, you're already logged in.
2
Click ⋮. It's in the top-right corner of the Google Chrome window.
- On some versions of Chrome, the button here instead looks like this: ☰
3
Click Settings. You'll find this toward the bottom of the drop-down menu here.
4
Scroll down and click Add person. This option is under the "People" heading toward the bottom of the page.
- Make sure the Enable Guest browsing and Let anyone add a person to Chrome boxes are both unchecked.
5
Type in your kid's name. You'll do this in the box next to "Name:" below the list of profile images.
- You can also choose a profile image by clicking an icon at the top of the window (or let your kid decide).
6
Make sure you click both boxes below the name field. Doing so will place a check mark in each of them--if you don't see a check mark, click again. These boxes include the following:
- "Create a desktop shortcut for this user" - This option will allow your kid(s) to open their version of Chrome directly, which will minimize the possibility of accidentally opening an unrestricted browser.
- "Control and view the websites this person visits from [your email address]" - This option will allow you to directly monitor your kid(s)'s Internet usage.
7
Click Add. It's in the bottom-right corner of the "Add person" window. Doing this will add your child's profile to your account as a secondary profile.
8
Click OK, got it when prompted. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Now that your child's profile is live, you can proceed with setting it up.
9
Click the "Supervised Users Dashboard" link. This link appears below row of buttons that are beneath the "People" window.
10
Click your supervised account name. You can do so from the dashboard in the middle of the page, or you can find it in the menu on the left side of the Chrome page.
11
Click Manage. It's in the top-right corner of the "Permissions" window that's on the right side of the page.
12
Click the box below the "Allow" heading. Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu.
13
Click Only approved sites. While you can certainly select All of the web to block individual sites, it's much easier to come up with a list of sites you'll allow your kids to use.
14
Enter a list of approved sites. To do so, simply type a site's URL into the "Add a website" field and press ↵ Enter. Some recommended sites to allow include the following:^{[2]
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- Google
- YouTube
- Wikipedia
- The Learning Network
15
Click OK. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Your selected sites will be added to the "Approved Sites" list, meaning your kid(s) will be able to visit these sites (and only these sites).

Community Q&A

Question

How old do I have to be to make a private Gmail account?

Community Answer

You have to be 13 according to COPPA (Childrens Online Privacy Policy Act).
Question

How old should a child be before getting an email account?

Community Answer

You should be able to judge for yourself your child's maturity level when considering allowing them access to an email account. If you're unable to, then perhaps its time to sit down and have a chat with your child about life in general, including topics such as internet safety, anonymity, curse words, sexuality, violence and gore, and addictions.
Question

At what age can I make a Google account?

Community Answer

In most countries, you must be at least 13 years old to make a Google account. The age limit goes up to 14 for Spain and South Korea, and 16 for the Netherlands.

Warnings

Google's supervised view isn't foolproof. The best way to ensure with absolute certainty that your children aren't visiting inappropriate sites is to monitor their web use in person.

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