Google to shut down Chrome's parental control feature

Google is going to shut down Chrome's parental control feature called "Chrome Supervised Users" for the desktop. The feature was first reported by TechCrunch.

Chrome Supervised Users launched in 2013, allowed a parent to lock down the Chrome browser on a device, including by blocking access to certain websites, enabling SafeSearch for filtering Google Search results and keeping a history of websites visited.

Starting on Friday, January 12, 2018, users will no longer be able to create or re-import supervised users. However, users will still be able to use their existing Chrome Supervised Users on Chromebooks, Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Then, on January 15, 2018, remote supervision available at chrome.com/manage will no longer be available. That means parents will no longer be able to change browsing restrictions for existing supervised users (i.e. their kids).

Additionally, the search engine giant announced a replacement for Chrome Supervised Users. Family Link which was launched in September 2014 for parental controls will be out later this year with an enhanced version. The new service allows parents to create Google Accounts for their kids and then manage their browsing history in Chrome for Android.

However, the service is limited only to mobile devices, while Chrome Supervised Users was meant for desktops.