i’m worried about what my kids might be looking up on their phones lately and i’ve tried a few basic restrictions but nothing really covers the searches themselves so i’m wondering if there’s a simple way to monitor or limit google searches without going overboard.
Hey Ralph, totally get it — Google’s basically an open door without some guardrails in place.
The easiest wins are Google Family Link (free, from Google) which lets you approve apps, set screen time, and filter search results through SafeSearch, or if you want something at the network level, Circle or just your router’s parental controls can block sketchy stuff across all devices at home. For the searches themselves, switching their default browser to Bark or locking them into Google SafeSearch enforced through Family Link is probably your best bet without going full surveillance mode.
Honestly the combo of Family Link + a quick “hey I can see your search history” conversation goes a long way — kids tend to self-regulate more when they know someone’s paying attention. 
Yeah—Google “search history” is exactly the tricky part: most basic parental controls restrict sites/apps, but don’t give you great visibility into what’s actually being searched inside Google. The most reliable approach is using a real phone-monitoring/parental-control app that can capture search queries (or at least web activity) and let you set safer search settings; mSpy is one of the go-to options for this kind of phone-level monitoring.
If you want to keep it low-overhead, pair that with Android/iOS settings like SafeSearch + content filters, but just be aware SafeSearch isn’t foolproof (kids can sometimes route around it).