How to Use Parental Controls in Windows 10

There is no way for a parent like you to keep an eye on your children all the time while they are in front of the computer, as you should also do your activities. To assist you, there is the Parental Control feature. This one is useful in limiting the programs that are run and websites that are opened by children. With this feature, your child can be prevented from content or sites that are not good. Besides, it can also limit their time in front of the computer. In addition, you can get detailed reports about the activity of your child on the computer.

Activating and Using Parental Controls in Windows 10

In order to use Parental Control in Windows 10, there are a few things that you need. First, you must log in to a Windows account with a Microsoft account and your account must be set up for child account settings in Windows.

With a Microsoft account, every single activity on your computer can be controlled. Not only that, you can also control everything on the internet, downloads, e-mail, and purchasing services.

Adding Children to Microsoft Family

1. First of all, go to https://account.microsoft.com/familyand then sign in using your Microsoft account as a parent.
2. Then, add your child’s Microsoft account, which can be done by clicking “Add a family member”. In case your child has no Microsoft account, make sure to create one for them first.
   
3. Enter your child’s email address that has been registered with a Microsoft account and then click the “Next” button.
   
4. After following it, create an account for your child on a Windows 10 computer or laptop and above from the Start menu > Settings > Accounts > Family & other users. In the “Other users” window, choose Add other user > Add account.
5. Enter the new account information using your child’s email address that was linked to Microsoft Family. Please follow the steps until everything is done.
6. Aside from that, you will also be asked to enter a PIN code that will be used to log into the laptop or computer using your child’s account. Do not forget to let your child know about the PIN code.
7. Done.

Once you have successfully created your child’s account in Windows, you can start using the controls available from the Microsoft Family Web Portal, which was known as Family Safety in the past.

Signing In to Microsoft Family and Review Activities for Children on the Computer

1. Firstly, sign in to https://account.microsoft.com/family/with your Microsoft account. You can also find a link to this page under your computer account settings, located in the section: Settings > Account > Family & other users.
   
2. Then, click your child’s name.
3. Customize activity reporting settings on the main account page for your child. Apparently, Activity Reporting and weekly email reports are provided by default. Feel free to uncheck it and toggle the settings off and also view web browsing activity and apps that can be used by your child on this page.
   
4. Block specific sites and applications for your child to use. You can do it by clicking the Block link on the far right. Make sure to use Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer if you want to block URL and report on the web when your child is browsing the internet. Actually, it is fine if you want to use Chrome or another browser. However, you will have to do it via the browser app itself.
   

Adjusting Parental Control Settings

In this section, you are free to navigate through any of the controls using the dropdown box located at the top of the page. Just look at the name “Recent activity”.

Here are several things that can change settings for browsing websites, apps and games, screen time, purchases, and Xbox privacy settings.

Website Browsing Settings

1. Enable “Block inappropriate websites” by changing its value from off to on position. This is the setting for mature content.
   
2. Add a URL for every website that you want to allow your children to access or block.
   

Apps, games, and Media Settings

1. Enable the “Block inappropriate apps and games” option to block inappropriate apps, games and movies for children.
   
2. Feel free to use the age rating of games, applications and movies that can be played or watched by children.
   

Computer Usage Time Settings or Screen Time

1. In order to activate the time limit for using a computer or laptop, activate the feature below.
   
2. Feel free to choose a time when your child can use a computer or laptop. For every day, you can set a start and time to limit time for them.
   

Purchasing and Spending Settings

1. Review the purchases made by your child in the Microsoft Store, including apps, games and movies. By visiting this page, you will be able to find the purchase history of your child using the Microsoft Store and Xbox Store.
2. If you want to give permission for your child to purchase something, you can deposit money into their account balance. Apart from that, you can also secure your credit card or balance in the Microsoft Store.
   

Xbox Privacy Settings

You will be taken to the web privacy settings page for Xbox. If your child has an Xbox account, you can decide whether or not they can do a few things, such as viewing their Xbox Live profile, using videos on Xbox Live, viewing content such as game images and so on.

Alfin Dani

AUTHOR BIO

On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…