Google TV streamer, kids profiles and Family Link

[jsiegmund]

I seem to be completely lost on how the combination of these three is supposed to work. Here's my current set-up: 

I have a Google TV streamer which is now our primary media device hooked up to our TV. I'm logged in with my Google account and I've added my wife as a secondary user. 

At first, my son had a YouTube kids account from using the YouTube kids app on my phone. I found out that YouTube kids on Google TV is no longer a thing, so instead I've installed the regular YouTube app. Since the YouTube kids profile doesn't apply to that, I then created a Google account in his name, which is linked our family. He uses that on the Google TV Streamer and thus he's signed into YouTube using that. 

I have two things I do not understand at the moment: 

1. Previously, his YouTube kids account was linked to my YouTube Premium account which meant he didn't see any ads. I have not found a way to do the same for this using the normal YouTube app, so how he's seeing ads. The ad for a YouTube family subscription states 13+, so what's the story for younger kids? I was assuming the YouTube kids policy would apply and he would be able to tag along on my Premium subscription but either I don't understand how to set this up, or it's not working. 

2. I was expecting to be able to use Family Link to manage screen time, either per device or across devices (which would be best). I can use Family Link to manage screen time on my Pixel Tablet, works fine. The Google TV Streamer is visible in Family Link, but doesn't seem to be managed from it. I can set-up a daily limit on the Google TV itself using the settings, but I was looking for something I can centrally manage. I can't add any time using my phone now, which is annoying. And as said; I was kind of expecting a level of integration that would allow me to set-up a daily limit for YouTube and other streaming services across device. 

Am I missing some sort of configuration, are my expectations too high or is this all not working the way it's expected to work? Thanks! 

[Rusell]

Hi Jsiegmund,

Thank you for posting in the community. I'm sorry to hear that you're getting some inconvenience with the YouTube premium and YouTube Kid. 

Our friends at Contact Us - YouTube Help should be able to help you with getting your tunes back on track.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist you further!

Best regards,

Rusell.

[jsiegmund]

Yeah thanks for forwarding me but unfortunately your friends at YouTube help aren't helping either. And part of my question was related to family link, do I need to post that somewhere else as well? 

[KristjanH]

I have that same problem with my two kids.
They both have tablets and my elder kid also has a phone. I controll all devices through family link.

I even have a projector that I can also control screentime and bed time on. But I can not controll those things on the Google Tv devices (I have two of them).
It is super anoying.

And on the Google Tv I have logged their accounts in and they are treated as child accounts. I can put on a screentime and the bed time (it does not link to family link).
However, it is buggy as hell. If I give them 30 minute screentime and they open youtube then they can watch youtube forever as long as they wont exit the app. But as soon they exit youtube then the screentime kicks in.

And then there is that I have to log into each Google Tv device to set up a different schedule. It would be nice to be able to say that the kid has one hour on Google Tv. No matter if they use 40 minutes on Google Tv device 1, then there would be 20 minutes left if they continue on Google Tv device 2.

If someone can get this to the Google Tv team (and/or Family Link team) that would be awsome.
The request would be, "Please fully implement Family Link in the Google Tv software to make it more reliable. And give us more controll over how to distribute screentime between devices."

[Rusell]

Hi there,

Thank you for your responses. As informed you before, this inconvenience is with YouTube therefore i recommend that you contact our finds for further assistance. I apologize for any inconvenience caused.

• Google Account Community
• YouTube Community

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist you further!

Best regards,

Rusell.

[jsiegmund]

He actually lists multiple annoyances that have nothing to do with YouTube, like not being able to set a screen time across Google TV devices and Google TV devices not using the screen time as set in the Family Link app. 

[Rusell]

Hi there,

Thank you for your response. I appreciated the information provided but this feature is not available therefore we're always looking for ways to improve, and we appreciate your DSCC Feedback Form.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this post. I'll be happy to assist you further!

Best regards,

Rusell.