Google uses Safer Internet Day to remind people about its protection tools

Just like Microsoft, Google is using Safer Internet Day for a dash of self-promotion. The company has used a blog post to remind people about the steps it has taken and the tools that it has produced to help keep younger people safe online, and to promote healthier use of technology.

Google uses a multi-pronged approach, at turns giving parents and guardians tools to monitor and control what their children can do, whilst also balancing this with young people’s autonomy. While there is not really anything new in the company’s offerings, the reminders are perhaps helpful ones.

There is a recognition that while there are undeniable dangers associated with the internet, and that unfettered access has the potential to be very damaging for younger people, it remains an indispensable tool. This is why Google, like so many other technology companies, sees the importance of parental controls.

Google and YouTube make it easy for families to choose and customize their experience through supervised accounts and parental controls. Google Family Link’s design now lets parents manage devices from a single page, plus view a device-specific usage summary, set time limits and more easily adjust controls from a consolidated screen-time management tab.

Similarly, for families using YouTube, an updated sign up experience will let parents create a new kid account and easily switch between accounts in the mobile app depending on who’s watching. Parents can also now set the amount of time spent scrolling Shorts – and soon, there will be the option to set the timer to zero. Parents of supervised kid and teen accounts can also set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, building on the existing default-on wellbeing protections.

With such a large percentage of school-goers owning a smartphone, there are understandable concerns about them being a distraction as much as a useful tool. To bolster the protections offered by parental controls, Google also has tools to help ensure that time at school is used productively:

School time support is now available for Android phones and tablets. School time can help reduce distractions by scheduling limited phone functionality and silenced notifications during school hours. If there is a vacation or planned day off, or even just lunches and recess, parents can easily adjust the settings and set a “break” to fit their children’s schedules. Parents can choose the apps that are silenced and restricted, and learn which apps their child uses while in School time or outside of it.

Google also highlights its recently introduced Guided Learning mode in Gemini, as well as its Be Internet Awesome AI literacy guide. These programs seek to aid learning while promoting safety.

The company points out that it is not working alone:

In 2025, our partners trained more than 60,000 caregivers, educators and parents on Google’s online safety tools for kids and families across the US, Brazil, India, Mexico, the UK and Spain. Today we’re announcing expanded partnerships with leading organizations around the world, including the Parent Teachers Association, the National Center for Families and Learning, Education for Sharing, the National Cybersecurity Alliance, UpEducators, Fundación ANAR and SaferNet. Through these collaborations, we’ll train 200,000 families and practitioners on tools for kids and families to stay safe online.

More information is available here.