Google has announced a new Google Wallet feature that allows parents to create a secure digital wallet experience for children under 18.
The update is designed to help young users learn responsible money management while giving parents control over spending through a range of built-in safety features.
With the new parental controls, parents can set daily spending limits, review their child’s transaction history, and receive notifications whenever a purchase is made. They can also remotely lock or unlock the wallet if the child’s Android device is lost, as well as activate a temporary “spending timeout” to pause purchases whenever needed.
The feature enables children to use their Android phones or Wear OS smartwatches to make contactless payments anywhere Google Pay is accepted. Google says the service allows kids to manage their own spending without requiring a traditional bank account.
The update brings Google Wallet closer to competing family-focused payment services such as Apple Cash Family, which offers similar parental controls and transaction monitoring. It also places Google in direct competition with financial technology platforms like FamZoo and Greenlight, both of which focus on teaching financial literacy through prepaid debit card systems for children.
The new capability builds on Google’s earlier update that introduced supervised digital payments for children in select countries. Under that system, payment cards could only be added with parental approval, and parents received email notifications whenever their child completed a transaction. Children also gained access to supported digital passes, including event tickets, library cards, and gift cards through Google Wallet.
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The new parental spending controls are currently rolling out to users in the United States. Google has not announced when the feature will become available in other countries.
