Google has announced a new feature for Google TVs as well as Chromecast by Google TV. The new feature that lets you create profiles for your kids, also lets you keep track of what content your kids can eat and for how long. Child profiles will be introduced in the United States this month and will be available in other regions in the coming months.
Detailing the feature on its blog Monday, Google says that Chromecast with Google TV and other Google TV device users will be able to monitor their children’s TV viewing time by ‘lets you create a new image for your kids – you can either add an existing Google account, or just create an image with the name and age.
With this feature, parents will be able to control the content that their children use on TV. This can be accomplished by locking or unlocking some apps, controlling which apps are accessible to your kids, and also sharing movies and TV shows that have already been purchased through the Google Play Family Library. The children’s mode on Google TV can be identified using bright colors and pictures. The background is customizable and there are currently three themes – Under the sea, dinosaur jungle and Space travel – to choose from. Google has also announced that Avatars will be available soon that will allow your child to choose a profile picture according to their interests.
Another great aspect of this feature is the addition of Screen Time Management. This will allow you to control the total amount of time your children spend watching TV and also set the amount of time they should go to bed. “When it’s close to turning off the TV, your children will be given three countdown warning signs before the last ‘Time up’ screen appears and their watch time ends,” said Saleh Altayyar, Product Manager, Google TV, in the blog.
The feature will also have a PIN to prevent your children from moving away from the children’s profile. TV viewing time can also be monitored from the Family Link app which helps you to align their screen time on their Android and Chromebook smartphones.
As mentioned, this feature has been designed later in the month. It will be first introduced in the United States on Chromecast with Google TV and Google TV devices, and will eventually be distributed on the other devices and in other regions as well.