We have discovered an issue with the search safety settings in Google Chrome when it's managed via the Family Link app. Just wanted to warn other parents who may not be aware!
Google SafeSearch is enabled by default, but of course this only applies to searches done via Google Search, not any other search engine. Some of the settings in Family Link make it seem like the search safety features are at browser level, when in fact they only apply at search engine level.
Chrome makes it easy for kids to change the default search engine in the settings (Settings > Search Engine). And obviously these search engines can also be accessed by searching for them or typing in the URL. So then they have unrestricted access to the internet! And blocking the search engine URLs in Family Link has no effect.
We are very strict and knowledgeable when it comes to internet/screen usage and can't believe we fell foul of this. Our child only gets 15min access to Chrome every few days!
Obviously no technical measures are 100% effective but this seems like a major oversight/downfall.
So please take extra care in looking through all the app settings, monitor your kids' search engine usage and encourage them only to use Google Search in Chrome on any devices managed by Family Link.