It's no secret that many apps available in the US are sometimes not available here in Malaysia but an app that I've been watching for personally, Family Link has finally become available here in Malaysia. Offering the option to create and manage Google child accounts for users below 13 years of age, Family Link also allows you to see the history, set time limits of device usage, what your kids can or cannot open, track what your kids are doing and even check their location according to their devices.
Previously, most of the time parents had to create an adult Google account or have their kids use theirs (which results in all sorts of surprise toy unboxings and so forth to appear in YOUR YouTube feed). To use it, you'll have to download it to both your device and your child's device and set them up. While Family Link is free to download and set up, it does require you to pay about 1 USD (~RM4) via your credit/debit card to prove you're an adult per child account, so if you have 2 children that will be RM8 in total.
We've reached out to Google Malaysia and they've told us that Family Link is not temporary or will be closed any time soon, but in our own explorations of the app, it still seems a bit buggy (doesn't detect sometimes, tracking isn't always refreshed, doesn't work with Google Play etc). We expect it is related to our Internet speeds somewhat as well, but if you're a parent worrying about the safety of your kids online, then you should definitely give Family Link a try.
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