Google introduces "School Time" feature to help students focus while in school or studying
Parents often grapple with finding the right balance for their children's technology use. Recognizing this, Google has developed tools to help families establish their own ground rules. One such tool is the new "School time" feature, designed to empower parents to manage their children's device usage during school hours.
Google's interaction with parents revealed a desire for a feature that would limit distractions during school while maintaining the ability to communicate in emergencies. In response, they introduced "School time" on Fitbit Ace LTE smartwatches earlier this year. The feature will soon be expanded to select Android phones, tablets, and Samsung Galaxy Watches to further promote a productive learning environment.
With "School time," parents can set their child's device to a dedicated home screen with limited functionality during school hours. They can schedule and select which apps are allowed during this time using Family Link, which is Google's parental controls app. Parents also have the option to allow calls or texts from specific contacts.
The "School time" feature can also be used outside of class when it's time to focus or take a break from screens. For teens not supervised through Family Link, Android devices offer Focus mode to prevent notifications and limit distractions during a specific time period.
Google acknowledges that parental supervision needs evolve as children become teenagers. To address this, they are introducing new supervision features for parents of teens on YouTube. This update will allow parents to link their accounts with their teens, gaining visibility into their activity on the platform. Family Link also allows for supervision of all ages, providing parents with flexibility to determine app usage, monitor activity, and set digital ground rules.
For users under 18, Google has default safety settings in place, including SafeSearch on YouTube, content restrictions, and autoplay off. They have also recently implemented new safeguards to limit recommendations of potentially problematic videos, particularly for teens.
Google states it is committed to ongoing research and development to meet the changing needs of parents and children, which is timely considering there is currently legislation being proposed in the United States to ban smartphones from schools. By collaborating with experts in child development, education, and technology, they aim to shape a future where technology continues to facilitate learning and exploration without disrupting the learning process in the classroom.
How the "School time" feature works | Video credit — Google
Google states it is committed to ongoing research and development to meet the changing needs of parents and children, which is timely considering there is currently legislation being proposed in the United States to ban smartphones from schools. By collaborating with experts in child development, education, and technology, they aim to shape a future where technology continues to facilitate learning and exploration without disrupting the learning process in the classroom.
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