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RedLion
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

[Solved] Help! Lost trying to set this up for my kids

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I'm confused and overwhelmed about what to do, and in what order.  Help appreciated!

Here's what I'm trying to do:

I want to give Stadia to my two kids and share my kid-appropriate Stadia games with them. They'll be playing it only on a Chromecast Ultra on their TV.

Here's the current situation:

I have:

  • My Stadia Pro Account
  • My own Stadia controller
  • A TV for me
  • Kid-appropriate Stadia games I want to share
  • Two other Stadia controllers, one for each kid
  • A separate TV for them, already set up.  It's an older HDTV w/ no Android TV or Google TV or Stadia "app" in it.
  • A Chromecast Ultra I currently play Stadia on my TV with. I'll remove this CU from my TV, give the CU to them, and attach it to their TV.

Not yet existing:

  • Personal Google accounts for the kids
  • A Google Family
  • The kids' Google accounts being part of my Google Family
  • Family Link being set up
  • The kids being in Family Link too (if that is not redundant to being in Google Family)
  • The kids having Stadia accounts
  • The Chromecast Ultra being set up with their Stadia accounts, and my account either being deleted or PIN-protected so they can't switch to my account and play grownup games
  • A new device for my TV to play Stadia games on (and maybe also Android and GeForce Now games) -- like a CCwGTV, Onn Android TV, Shield TV etc

My questions:

  • If they're only going to use their personal Google accounts for Stadia on the Chromecast, and play games that I'm sharing with them via the Google Family, do still I need to set up Family Link? 
    • If so, is the only way for me to set up Family Link (other than giving them their own Android devices) to use my Android phone and set up new User Profiles on it for them, even if they'll never actually use my phone or their accounts on it?
    • If don't need Family Link for this scenario of only having the kids use Stadia and the CC Ultra, do I STILL need to set up Family Link so I have the option of changing my mind later about giving them an Android device or personal Chromebook etc Google Play Pass, Google Play Movies to share with them etc., and them still be able to use the same Google accounts as before?
  • What order do I do things in?  I'm worried that if I create their Google accounts first before there's a Google Family, or set up a Google Family before a Family Link, etc I won't be able do it later.

Thanks!  I really appreciate any help I can get.  I actually got them the Stadia controllers back at Christmas but I've never set it all up for them yet for various reasons, partly from it being so complicated and overwhelming.

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Best Response
RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Hi @RedLion,

Yes Family Link is required to create a child Google account.
Please check this Google support page.

Creating a profile on your device does not mean it has a Google account. 
:beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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8 Replies
m3t4lw01f
Founder
Founder

If the kids are under 13 you have to create accounts for them IN the family link app. It's a giant pain in the ass, but it's the only way to be sure Google won't up and cancel them on you if it figures out they are younger. 

 

Once you have accounts created in family link, just go sign in to Stadia with their google account and you'll be able to add it to the CCU interface. 

2 Kudos
RedLion
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

@m3t4lw01f wrote:

If the kids are under 13 you have to create accounts for them IN the family link app. It's a giant pain in the ass, but it's the only way to be sure Google won't up and cancel them on you if it figures out they are younger. 

 

Once you have accounts created in family link, just go sign in to Stadia with their google account and you'll be able to add it to the CCU interface. 


Thanks. But I wasn't planning on claiming the kids are older than they really are. In fact I want Google to know their real ages so that I can use that to limit the content they're exposed to.

Are you really sure that there's no way to create kid accounts without using Family Link first?  

See this post which says that adding new User Profiles on an Android phone is the way to do it.

 

 

 

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RXShorty
Platinum Stadia Guide
Platinum Stadia Guide

Hi @RedLion,

Yes Family Link is required to create a child Google account.
Please check this Google support page.

Creating a profile on your device does not mean it has a Google account. 
:beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes:

1 Kudo
ChrisFromGoogle
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey @RedLion, I wanted to say thanks for providing such a thorough breakdown of your issue, and for being so communicative with our Stadia Guides in order to reach a resolution. This topic was a joy to read, simply from a procedural standpoint :slightly_smiling_face:

 

Hope your kids enjoy Stadia!

1 Kudo
m3t4lw01f
Founder
Founder

You might need a "temporary" Android device to be able to add them to the CCU. You can't add a supervised google account to the same phone that a family manager is logged in to. It plain won't let you. (this is the way it worked for me anyhow).

2 Kudos
RedLion
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

Not even with separate User Profiles for them?

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m3t4lw01f
Founder
Founder

Parental controls will automatically share whatever you have set as shared with your family group based on their account age and the rating for the region your account is in. If the kid's account is 8 it'll only share games up to that age based on the ESRB rating. You don't have to handle sharing individual games or worrying that child B shouldn't have games child A has. 

That said, every time they launch a new game you have to approve it the first time. So you'll get an email (or possibly a notification from family link) to approve. 

Sorry I've replied three times. More stuff keeps coming to mind. 

2 Kudos
RedLion
Stadia Player
Stadia Player

I've been able to set up a kids account, Family Link, a User Profile on my phone, a Stadia account, shared games, and have that account and those games appear on the CU.  I think I'm on my way now and will add the other kid and other games, and get the device for me, etc., going forward.

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