Screen time limits on Android. The ones that hold.
Android has more screen time options than iOS and less consistency between them. Here's what each tool enforces, and the setup that survives a determined 14-year-old.
Option 1: Digital Wellbeing (built in, no PIN)
Settings → Digital Wellbeing & parental controls gives you app timers, Focus mode, and Bedtime mode.
It's well designed and completely unenforceable as a parental control — there's no passcode on any of it. Your child taps "Delete timer" and it's gone. Use it for yourself; don't rely on it for them.
Option 2: Family Link (free, PIN-protected)
This is the real built-in option.
Daily limit for the whole device
- Family Link app → child's profile → Controls → Daily limit.
- Set a different limit per day of the week — school nights shorter than weekends.
Bedtime
- Controls → Bedtime.
- Set start and end times. The device locks in that window; calls still come through.
Per-app limits
- Controls → App limits.
- Set a daily cap per app, or block outright.
When a supervised child turns 13 (the age varies by country), Google notifies them that they can now choose to stop supervision. If they accept, you're notified — but you can't prevent it. Any setup that depends entirely on Family Link has a hard expiry date on your child's 13th birthday.
Schedules your child can't switch off
Set per-app and whole-device schedules from the Defenras parent dashboard — changes need your PIN, not theirs.
Get Defenras free →Option 3: Third-party controls with a parent PIN
Defenras schedules aren't tied to a Google account age policy, so they don't lapse.
What you can schedule
- Per-app windows. TikTok allowed 4–6pm, blocked otherwise.
- Category windows. All social media off during school hours.
- Homework mode. One toggle that blocks games and social but leaves educational sites open.
- Overnight. Everything but calls and messages off from 9:30pm.
Changes are made from your dashboard on your phone. Nothing on the child's device can alter them without your PIN.
What actually causes screen time fights — and what reduces them
The technical setup is the easy half. A few things that consistently help:
- Warn before the cutoff. An app closing mid-match is what produces the blowup. A five-minute warning removes most of it.
- Separate categories. A blanket "two hours of screen time" treats a video call with a grandparent the same as an endless feed. Per-category limits are both fairer and easier to defend.
- Write down the deal. Limits that appear without warning read as punishment. Agreed in advance, they read as house rules.
- Give a way to ask. If the only route to more time is an argument, you'll get arguments. Defenras lets your child request extra time from their phone; you approve or decline from yours.
A setup that holds
- Family Link for the daily device cap and bedtime.
- Defenras for per-app schedules and content blocking, PIN-locked.
- Uninstall protection on.
- Multiple user profiles disabled.
- An agreed way to request more time.
Frequently asked questions
Can my child turn off Digital Wellbeing limits?
Yes, instantly — there's no passcode on Digital Wellbeing. It's a self-control feature, not a parental control.
Do screen time limits block phone calls?
No. Family Link bedtime and Defenras schedules both leave calling and emergency contacts available. Blocking a child's ability to call you is never the goal.
What if my child creates a second user profile?
A second profile is a clean device that ignores your restrictions. Disable multiple users under Settings → System, or at minimum stop profiles being added from the lock screen.
Can I set different limits for school days and weekends?
Yes, in both Family Link and Defenras. Per-day-of-week limits are the single most useful setting here and most parents never turn them on.
Defenras blocks all of this — without collecting your child's data.
One app, every device, every browser. Adult content, gambling, vaping, scams, malware, social media — all blocked. PIN-locked. Free version available, no credit card.