A lot of parents believe Family Link switches itself off when a child turns 13. It doesn't. Nothing stops automatically on the birthday, and since January 2026 a teen can't end supervision on their own. But 13 is still a real milestone in Family Link, and it is the age when most "Family Link stopped working" surprises begin. Here is what actually changes, and what to check.
The Short Answer
Family Link keeps working past 13 for as long as supervision stays on. At 13 (or the age of consent for Google accounts in your country, which is higher in some places), your child gains the option to ask to stop supervision. Under Google's current rules, a child under 18 needs a parent's approval to stop it, and you are both notified when supervision ends. If you never approve, the controls you set keep running.
1What Changed in January 2026
Until early 2026, Google emailed children approaching 13 to tell them they could soon remove supervision themselves. After a public backlash, Google reversed the policy worldwide: teens now need explicit parental approval before Family Link supervision can be removed. If your child's supervision ended before that change, it did not come back on its own.
Fix
Open the Family Link parent app and look at your child's profile. If they are still listed with their devices and settings, supervision is on. If they are missing, see section 4.
2The Supervised Teen Account
At 13, your child can choose to update their Google Account to a supervised teen account. According to Google, this update does not change your supervision: you keep managing the parental controls on their supervised devices from the Family Link app. It is an account change on your child's side, not an off switch.
Fix
If your child mentions an email or a prompt about their account at 13, look at it together rather than letting it get skipped past. It is a good moment to agree what stays in place and what loosens.
3It Stopped Working Around 13, but Not Because of Age
Many "it stopped at 13" cases are coincidence. Thirteen is when a lot of kids get a new or hand-me-down phone, and Family Link only supervises the devices where supervision was set up. A teen signed in on a new phone, or on a second account, may simply be on a device you never supervised.
Fix
In the parent app, compare your child's device list with the phone actually in their hand. If it is missing, set up supervision on it. If the phone is listed but ignoring your rules, the cause is usually a sync problem: see Family Link not syncing or locking the phone.
4If Supervision Has Already Ended
If your teen's supervision ended, before the 2026 change or with your approval, you can add it again, but not silently. Adding supervision to an existing account needs your teen to sign in and agree to it on their side. That makes it a conversation, not a settings change.
Fix
Talk first about why you want it back and what you will actually limit. Then add supervision from the Family Link parent app with your teen there to sign in. Our Android parental controls setup guide covers the full setup.
5Rules for 13 Should Look Different From Rules for 9
Even with supervision firmly in place, the same limits you set at 9 tend to fail at 13. Not technically, but socially: a teen who feels the rules are childish starts looking for gaps, and Android has plenty.
Fix
Revisit the setup at 13. Loosen what no longer needs a hard limit, keep firm rules where they matter most (usually sleep and school hours), and explain the difference. Our guide to screen time limits for teenagers has a practical starting point.
If You Want Rules a Teen Will Buy Into
The hardest part of supervising a teen isn't the settings, it's the arguing. Tap Guardian is built around letting kids earn screen time: you set the daily limit and bedtime and school schedules, and when your teen wants more time they finish tasks you approve, such as homework, chores, or a Brain Boost quiz. It doesn't depend on Google account supervision. It pairs with your teen's iPhone or Android phone using a code, and one parent dashboard covers every child. It is free for 7 days, then $6.99/month or $49.99/year.
Final Thoughts
Family Link does not expire at 13. What changes is that your child can now ask to leave supervision, and since January 2026 they need your approval to do it. If it seems to have stopped working, check the account status and the device list first; most cases turn out to be a new phone or a sync problem. For every other way Family Link fails, see Google Family Link not working.
