Microsoft's family settings feature for Windows 10 and Xbox is a hidden gem for parents

Microsoft has ever been focused on digital health and safety, and with Windows 10 and Xbox is in a unique position to assistance make parents' lives easier when it comes to making sure their kids are safe when on a PC or Xbox. Over the last week, I've been testing out the many different family settings built into every Microsoft account for free, and I wanted to highlight some areas that I think stand out.

Family dashboard

Starting with the basics, Microsoft's family settings permit parents to control what content a child's Microsoft business relationship is immune to access. Once the kid's account is gear up, the parent tin can access the child's business relationship setting from the Microsoft account dashboard and setup access limits, age restrictions, and more in only a few easy clicks. It's all controlled online, meaning it'south accessible from anywhere as long as y'all know your password.

Setting up a family allows parents to admission their kid's business relationship activity, which details what websites they are visiting, which apps they're using, where they are, what they're purchasing, and how long they're using their devices every day. From here, parents tin can command access and limit things where necessary.

Setting up a family as well turns on a shared family calendar in Outlook, and creates a shared OneNote notebook for the whole family too. This isn't immediately obvious, just I did stumble beyond this in my OneDrive subsequently adding members to the family unit. It'southward super helpful to be able to share notes and events on a shared calendar that syncs across all my family unit members' devices automatically.

Content control

Parents can first by limiting when and how long their children can apply either their PC or Xbox on any given day. For case, you can restrict a kid's account to 6 hours a twenty-four hours on the PC, and iv hours a 24-hour interval on the Xbox, with access hours from 10 AM to vii PM. This ways that the child tin can admission their Xbox or PC between ten AM or 7 PM every twenty-four hour period, for a total of six hours on the PC, and iv hours on the Xbox.

Once this limit is reached, the child will exist warned 15 minutes beforehand that their time is virtually up and given the option to ask their parents for more time if needed. If not, after those xv minutes is up, the PC or Xbox will sign the child out automatically and refuse them access to their device until their time is reset at 10 AM the next day. Pretty bang-up, and information technology's all automatic.

If you don't desire to restrict access to the PC or Xbox itself, you can also limit access to specific apps. For instance, parents can restrict their kid'southward time within the YouTube app on Xbox to 2 hours a 24-hour interval. After 2 hours, that app will no longer launch until the kid asks for more time, only tin can keep using the Xbox to do other stuff.

In addition to limiting the corporeality of time a child can access their devices, parents too accept control over what kind of content tin can be accessed by the child'south account. If the child is 10 years erstwhile, parents likely aren't going to want them to accidentally stumble across an xviii+ rated game, app, or website. And so you can historic period restrict what kind of content is available to the child's account through the Microsoft Shop, and block websites when using Microsoft Edge.

Calculation funds

On the subject of the Microsoft Shop, setting up a family unit allows parents to easily add funds to their child's accounts. Gone are the days of putting your bank card information straight on your child's account and trusting them non to abuse admission to it. At present, yous can add funds through your business relationship instead. You can as well limit how much a child can spend in 1 twenty-four hour period, and limit how much any single particular tin toll to buy.

The child business relationship can likewise request more funds if needed, and the parent volition be sent a notification that lets them add together those funds on the fly.

Rails your child

In addition to Windows PC and Xbox support, Microsoft'southward family settings also extend to Android via the Microsoft Launcher. If your child is using an Android phone and you want to limit admission to certain apps and track them when they're out, you lot tin set the Microsoft Launcher with their child account and run into this information through the family unit dashboard.

This lets you see their location on a map, and ping their phone when necessary. It also enables you lot to see their telephone activeness, such as apps used and how long for. It doesn't requite you consummate admission, nevertheless, and so go along that in mind.

Bone integration

What's nice almost Microsoft's family condom features is its integration with Windows and Xbox. All the settings fix on the child's account will integrate nicely with Windows, Microsoft Border, Xbox One, and Android via the Microsoft Launcher. The child will run into an icon in the system tray on PC that tells them how long they have left before access is revoked, and Edge will automatically block websites that the child is non allowed to admission.

When using the Microsoft Store on either Xbox or PC, a window will popular upwardly whenever a child tries to download content that is prohibited on their account, with a push button built correct in that allows them to ask their parents for access to whatever it is they're trying to download.

This integration extends to the parent, too. Any alerts or requests for admission will be sent as an email to the parents' Microsoft account, but if you're using Windows 10, you'll besides receive built-in organisation notifications that permit yous act on those requests directly on your PC. This means parents won't ever exist taken out of their catamenia when working, allowing them to confirm or deny requests with a single click directly from Windows 10'south born notifications system.

What do you think?

Overall, these family unit safety features that are built correct into every Microsoft account are convenient, specially for those who want to continue an center on their children's digital wellness. If you oasis't make certain you requite it a endeavour. Let u.s. know what you lot think of these settings.

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