Decision sheet — Family agreements
What family tracking cannot show
You want to know what family tracking cannot show.
Verdict
Not an inbox
Family location tools are designed around device and account controls. They are not a right to record every conversation or read private chats.
How to check
- List the tool’s actual documented features.
- Separate location from messages, calls and app activity.
- Review controls with the people affected.
A family role is not an inbox
Supported supervision
Inspect the actual feature and account eligibility rather than assuming every advertised control is present.
Private conversations
Google’s supervision guide does not grant parents live access to the child’s phone screen or email reading.
Adult sharing
Use an explicit voluntary arrangement; a family relationship is not a technical access mechanism.
The honest limit
Do not infer a person’s intentions from a map point or usage number.
Official source: Google For Families: what supervision can and cannot do