How to Remove a Child From Google Family Link

Google Family Link gives parents meaningful control over their child's Android device or Google account — but there comes a point when that oversight no longer fits. Maybe your child has turned 13 and wants more independence, or you're switching devices, or the setup simply isn't working for your household anymore. Whatever the reason, removing a child from Family Link isn't always as straightforward as it sounds, and the steps vary depending on your child's age and how their account was created.

What "Removing" From Family Link Actually Means

Before diving into steps, it helps to understand what you're actually doing when you remove a child from Family Link. There are two distinct actions people usually mean when they ask this:

1. Unlinking the child's account from parental supervision — the child keeps their Google account, but parental controls are lifted.
2. Deleting the child's Google account entirely — the account and all its associated data are removed permanently.

These are not the same thing, and mixing them up can lead to unexpected outcomes — including permanent data loss. Most parents want the first option: removing supervision while keeping the account intact.

The Age Factor Changes Everything

Children under 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your country) have accounts that were created through Family Link. These accounts cannot simply be "freed" — Google requires parental approval to transition them to independent accounts. Until your child reaches the eligible age, you cannot fully remove supervision without deleting the account.

Children 13 and older can have their supervision removed, and the account continues as a standard Google account. The child may be prompted to review and accept Google's Terms of Service independently once supervision is lifted.

This age threshold is the single most important variable in determining what's possible and how the process works.

How to Remove Parental Supervision (Child 13 or Older)

This can be done either from the parent's device using the Family Link app, or directly through a browser.

Via the Family Link app (parent's phone):

1. Open the Family Link app on your device
2. Select your child's name from the account list
3. Tap the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top right
4. Scroll down and tap Account info
5. Tap Stop supervision
6. Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm

Via browser:

1. Go to families.google.com and sign in with your parent Google account
2. Select the child's profile
3. Navigate to Settings → Account info
4. Choose Stop supervision

Once confirmed, the child's account is converted to a standard Google account. Your child will receive a notification and may need to complete a few setup steps on their device.

How to Delete a Child's Google Account

If you want to remove the account entirely — not just supervision — the process is more permanent. ⚠️

1. Open the Family Link app
2. Select the child's profile
3. Tap Settings → Manage settings → Account info
4. Scroll to find Delete account
5. Follow the confirmation steps

Be aware: Deleting the account removes access to all Google services tied to it — Gmail, Google Play purchases, saved data in apps, Google Drive files, and more. This cannot be undone.

Removing a Child's Device Without Removing the Account

Sometimes the goal isn't to end supervision — it's just to remove a specific device from Family Link monitoring. This is common when a child gets a new phone or you're resetting an old device.

To remove a specific device:

1. Open Family Link and select the child
2. Tap the device you want to remove
3. Tap Info → Remove device

The child's account and supervision settings remain intact; only that device is unlinked.

Variables That Affect Your Specific Situation

If the child's device is school-managed through Google Workspace for Education, the school's IT administrator controls the account — Family Link parental controls and standard account removal steps won't apply in the same way.

What Happens After Supervision Is Removed

Once supervision ends, a few things change immediately:

• Screen time limits and app approval requirements are lifted
• The child can download apps, make purchases, and adjust their own settings independently
• Location sharing through Family Link stops
• The child's account behaves like any standard Google account for their age group

Google does retain some age-based restrictions on accounts for users under 18 even after Family Link supervision ends — particularly around certain content types and ad personalization settings. These are applied automatically based on the birthdate on the account, not parental oversight.

The Part That Depends on Your Situation 🔍

The mechanics described above are consistent — but whether you should stop supervision, delete the account, just remove a device, or transition gradually depends entirely on factors specific to your household: your child's maturity, what data is stored in the account, whether they use it for school, and what level of continued oversight makes sense going forward.

The process is the same for everyone. What the right outcome looks like is not.