One of the little-known features of Chrome was the ability to create individual user profiles for separate users. It allowed you to create Chrome users under your profile, allowing you to implement restrictions on their browsing. It was useful for kids and shared computers when used in tandem with other parental control solutions. Earlier this year, Google announced that they would be scrapping the Supervised User feature in a future release of Chrome. Back in January, Google began stripping away features and disallowed new users from being added. On top that that, one couldn’t modify any existing settings, essentially telling users that its days are numbered.
Today, XDA Developers found some mentions of the Supervised User feature in a Chromium Gerrit. The feature is to be phased out completely with Chrome 70, which will release sometime in October. At this point, it isn’t clear if people who already use it can keep their existing settings after Chrome 70. Parents looking to set up a restricted account for their kids will have to look elsewhere for alternatives.
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Right now, Google Family Link is the only Google-made app that does what Chrome’s Supervised User feature did. A parent can determine for how long a kid remains online, set bedtimes and block potentially harmful websites via Google Family Link. The only problem is, it isn’t available in a lot of markets at the moment. Barring the US and a few other countries, Google Family Link is not supported elsewhere. Here’s the list of countries where Family Link is available.
Most parents will very likely have to rely on third-party alternatives in regions where Family Link isn’t available. Hopefully, we see it makes its way to more countries before Chrome 70 is rolled out en-masse. In an ideal world, kids should stay away from the internet until they’re ready for it. But, since the world isn’t ideal and a lot of parents think that it’s a good idea to shove an iPad in their 8-year-old’s hand, we need services such as Family Link more than ever. The last thing we want is children stumbling upon the dark recesses of the internet; intentionally or by accident.
Source: XDA developers
