My kid just got their first email account and I set up family link on their device but I can’t figure out if I can actually read the emails they’re sending and receiving or if it just controls app access and screen time. I want to make sure they’re not talking to strangers or getting into anything sketchy but I don’t want to install some complicated third party app if the built-in tools already do this.
Based on my expertise, Family Link itself does not let you read the content of emails. It provides app approval and time management controls, but it is not an email monitoring tool.
To view actual email content, you would need to use a dedicated parental control app with email monitoring features, or consider having your child’s Gmail account credentials to log in and check it directly.
Family Link doesn’t let you read a child’s Gmail messages — it mainly controls app access, permissions and screen time. If you need to see emails, you’ll have to sign into their account to enable forwarding or use a simple monitoring tool like Spynger, but I’d try an open conversation first.