Computer Settings
To configure Windows Parental Controls, set up a Microsoft Account. This will give you access to the Windows Parental Controls for all Microsoft products. To add a child to your family Microsoft account:
Sign in at account.microsoft.com/family
Sign in with your Microsoft account, then select “Add a family member.” Select “Child” or “Adult.”
Type an email address or mobile number for the person you want to add and select “Send invite.” If your child doesn’t have an email or mobile number, select “Create a new one for them” and follow the steps on screen.
Have the person you’ve invited accept your invitation from their email or text message, or go to account.microsoft.com/family and select “Accept now” next to their email address. You can find it in the “Notifications section” at the top of the page under “Pending member”.
If you selected “Accept now”, sign out so the person you’re trying to add can sign in and join the
family. Then, sign back in and finish setting things up.
Note: if your child can’t remember a typed password, you might want to set up a picture password for them, so they can sign in using a favourite photo instead.
After your child is added to your family you will have a number of options for parental controls you can access by signing into your Microsoft account and following the links beneath your child’s name, including:
- Activity: lets parents look at what their child has been doing on their devices, including browsing history, the apps and games they’ve been playing and how much time they’ve spent using
- Content restrictions: allows parents to managing their child’s access to content, including
access to purchases in the Microsoft Store.
- Screen time: exactly what it says – allowing parents to manage how much time their child can spend on the computer every
- Spending: allows parents to review past purchases and add money to a child’s Microsoft account, allowing kids to spend a bit on their own. Note that even with money in their Microsoft account, children can’t purchase content rated above their age
NOTE: Account holders (parents) will always receive and email notification when a purchase is made from the Microsoft Store.