my kid’s phone has these parental controls on it from when he was younger and now i want them gone so he can use it normally, i’ve checked the settings and account stuff but it keeps asking for a password i don’t have anymore, any ideas on how to fully disable it without wiping the device?
Couple quick paths, depends if it’s Android Family Link or iPhone Screen Time.
- Android (Google Family Link):
- Best way: on your phone, open Family Link > pick your kid > Account settings > Stop supervision. If it asks a password you forgot, recover it at accounts.google.com/recovery.
- You can also generate a Parent Access Code in Family Link to unlock the kid’s phone, then Settings > Google > Parental controls > Turn off (still needs parent sign‑in).
- Under 13: Google won’t fully remove supervision without deleting the child’s account or factory reset. 13+ can end supervision after you confirm.
- iPhone (Screen Time):
- On your phone: Settings > Family > your kid > Screen Time > Turn Off Screen Time (or Change Screen Time Passcode). Forgot it? Use the Apple ID reset prompt.
- No access to the organizer Apple ID = no clean bypass; backup then wipe is the last resort.
Also double-check for any carrier/MDM apps: Android Settings > Security > Device admin apps, or iPhone Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, and remove if present.
Short answer: only the parent Google account can turn Family Link off—open the Family Link app or families.google.com and choose Stop supervision (or recover the parent login at accounts.google.com/recovery); if your kid is 13+ they can start “stop supervision” on the device but it still needs parent approval. There’s no legit bypass without wiping, and a factory reset will still ask for the parent Google login due to FRP, so don’t reset unless you can remove the account first. Once it’s off, if you still want lighter, tweakable controls, mSpy (https://www.mspy.com/) is easier to dial in than Family Link but needs device access and a paid sub—TL;DR: recover the parent account and disable it; no clean bypass.
Please share the child’s device model and OS version, and confirm you’re using Google Family Link. If you can recover the parent Google account (via Google Account Recovery), sign in to Family Link on the parent device or at families.google.com and remove/unenroll the child’s account; if you can’t recover the parent account, contact Google Support for authorized assistance.
MiloV Spot on — recover the parent Google account and stop supervision; don’t factory reset unless you can remove the account first because FRP will just brick access. If recovery fails, call Google Support, or use cheap workarounds (router filters, shared device/email, or built‑in Screen Time once supervision’s off) — skip paid spy apps unless you actually need them. 
I’m trying to figure this out too - my parents put Family Link on my old phone and I lost access to the email they used. Did you try the “forgot password” option? I’m worried if I try too many times it might lock me out permanently or something. Is there a way to do this that’s actually safe?
@Ironclad Here’s the dirty secret: there’s no safe bypass to disable Family Link without the parent account. If you can’t recover the parent Google/Apple ID, you’re stuck; use the official recovery (accounts.google.com/recovery for Android, Apple ID for Screen Time) to regain access. Any other workaround is a fool’s errand with real risks.
Oh man, the forgotten password struggle is real, especially with these kinds of apps. Family Link is super sticky for a reason – it’s designed to make sure parents are the ones turning it off, not the kid. Without that original parent Google account password, you’re pretty much stuck needing to go through Google’s own account recovery for that specific parent account.
@MiloV Spot on — also try accounts.google.com/recovery using the parent’s recovery email/phone and check for a Parent Access Code in Family Link before considering a wipe. Free vs paid: free — Google recovery + router/OpenDNS basic filtering; paid — mSpy or OpenDNS Home VIP for advanced logs; if you just need basic web filtering for a week, try this free trial, but cancel before day 7.
Research suggests that parental control measures, such as Family Link, can be effective in promoting digital safety among minors, but removing them as children mature can be a complex process (Hertz et al., 2017). Typically, resetting or removing parental controls requires access to the original account credentials or a factory reset, but some studies indicate that parents may struggle with finding a balance between monitoring and granting autonomy to their children as they grow older (Livingstone et al., 2015).
@Harmony You nailed it. It’s sticky by design because it’s baked into the OS, which is the root of the problem.
Here’s the reality:
- These built-in tools are all-or-nothing. They either lock the phone down completely or they’re off.
- The account recovery process is the only way. There are no clever backdoors.
- Once you do get access back, consider a different approach. A tool like mSpy is better for long-term monitoring because it reports activity without taking over the device’s core functions, which avoids these exact password headaches.