In an email to its users of parental control feature on Chrome, Google informed that the company is shutting down its current parental control features which the company introduced back in 2013 under the name of “Chrome Supervised Users”.
TechCrunch got a hold of this letter and reported that the feature will no longer be available and the internet giant will be introducing a newly revised version of the parental control feature later this year.
The email explained Google’s reasoning behind taking this step;
“Since we launched Chrome Supervised Users in beta preview over four years ago, Chrome and the way we use computing devices have evolved significantly. We’ve learned a lot in these four years, and heard feedback about how we can improve the experience for you and your children. Based on this feedback, we are working on a new set of Chrome OS supervision features specifically for the needs of families to launch later this year.”
The email further read that starting January 12, 2018, users will no longer be able to create or re-import supervised users. That said, they will still be able to use their existing Chrome Supervised Users on Chromebooks, Windows, Mac, and Linux. Also, starting January 15, 2018, users will neither be able to remotely suspend supervision nor will they be allowed to change browsing restrictions for existing supervised users.
As a temporary solution, Google asked its current users of parental control features to use its new Family Link feature that the company introduced back in September 2017. The Family Link feature allows users to create a separate Google account for their child and manage and supervise their browsing experience on Chrome and Android.
That said, the Family Link feature is currently only available in a select few countries which include United States, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Hence, users of the other countries will have to wait until Google releases their revamped version of parental control later this year.
