If you wish to manage, monitor, and regulate your child's activities on Windows devices, Xbox, Edge browser, or smartphone devices, Microsoft offers extensive parental control features. These features can be set up and enabled right from the Windows 11 Settings app or, more conveniently, through Microsoft's Family app. They allow you to control your children's screen time, the content they consume, and more.

Let's walk through setting up your children's account on Microsoft Family and start using parental controls to create a safe environment for them while they explore the digital world.

Prerequisites for setting up parental controls on Windows 11

Before you attempt to enable parental control over your child's digital activities, there are some things you need to do first in order to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

• You and your child both need a Microsoft Account. If your child doesn't have one, we can create one during setup.
• If you attempt to set up parental controls through the settings of your Windows 11 PC, you must sign in with your Microsoft Account. If you use the Family app for this, have your Microsoft Account login credentials ready.
• Ensure you have access to your child's devices, such as the Windows laptop, Xbox, and smartphone (iPhone or Android), on which you want to implement the restrictions.

Add the child's account to Microsoft Family

If you haven't already done so, you need to add your child's account to Microsoft Family to control it using your Windows 11 system. You can do that right from your system settings, but I suggest you use Microsoft's Family app, which comes pre-installed on Windows 11. If you can't find it on your device, you can get it from the Microsoft Store for free.

Here are the steps to add an account to Microsoft Family using your Windows PC.

1. Search for the Family app through the Windows search box and click its icon to launch it.
2. Click the Get Started button and log in with your Microsoft Account.
3. Next, click the Add Family Member button.
4. Under the What role should they have? heading, select the Member option, and click Next.
5. Add your child by inviting them through WhatsApp or using their phone number or email.
6. Ask them to accept your invite, or do it yourself if you can access their device/account.
7. If your child has no WhatsApp, email, or phone number, click the Create an Account option and select Get a new email address.
8. Next, under the Create account for child heading, enter the username for the email, and from the drop-down menu, select either outlook.com or hotmail.com as the email service. Upon clicking Next, if you get a "username is taken" warning, use a new unique one.
9. On the next screen, create a strong and unique password and click the Next button to continue.
10. Enter the first and second names of your child.
11. Choose the Country/region, add birthdate of the child, and click Next.

That's it — the child's account will be added to your family account. Use the newly created account to log in on your child's device (or ask them to do so) and accept the invitation to join the family. Download the Microsoft Family Safety app on your child's Android or iPhone and log in with this recently created account to set it up.

When setting up the app on mobile devices for the first time, you need to provide various permissions (location, app usage, uninstallation control, and more). Carefully review the requested permissions and allow them in order for the app to function as it needs to. As soon as you add your phone (Android or iOS), you'll start receiving the location details if you have provided the permissions.

How to apply parental controls through your Windows 11 device

Once the child's account is created and devices are connected, you can now apply parental controls to monitor and limit their activities. Here's how to do that for Windows, Xbox, Edge, and mobile devices.

Lock the device

If you would like to quickly lock the Windows or Xbox device of your child, follow these steps on your Windows PC.

1. Launch the Family app on your Windows 11 device and select your child's account on which you want to set the screen limit.
2. Switch to the Windows tab (or Xbox tab for locking an Xbox console) and scroll down. Under the Devices section, select the Lock devices option.
3. Next, toggle the button next to the device's name to lock it immediately.
4. You'll see the lock icon over the device's name, indicating it's locked. Click Done.

Follow the same steps and toggle the button to unlock it. Remember that this works only for Windows and Xbox devices.

Set Screen Time Limits

To set screen limits on your child's Windows device, follow these steps on your Windows 11 system:

1. After selecting your child's account in the Family app, scroll down and expand the device for which you want to set screen time limits.
2. By default, the limit is set to 15 hours per day of the week. If you would like to change it, select any of the days.
3. Now, use the slider to set a time limit in hours that your child can utilize this device in a day. If no schedule is set, it can be any 15 hours of the day.
4. Next, click the +Add a schedule option to schedule a particular time period when your child can use this device. You can add multiple schedules across the day; if they overlap, they'll be merged during the overlap period.
5. Finally, click Done, and the screen time limits will be activated on the child's device.

When the screen time limit is near, your child will get a notification on their device 15 minutes before that, reminding them of the time limit. They can also ask for an extended period that you can allow or disallow from the app itself or from your email. The time limit can be set similarly for Xbox consoles by switching to the Xbox tab.

Restrict apps and game time

Next, using the Family app on your Windows 11 device, you can set a limit on the time your child spends on Windows, Xbox, and Android apps and games. You can also apply the limit to specific applications and even block them.

1. Open the Family app, select your child's account, and switch to the relevant device tab (Windows, Xbox, or Mobile) to apply app restrictions.
2. Scroll down, switch to the Apps and games section, and toggle the button to turn on the App and game limits.
3. Scroll down to check the installed apps list. This will only show the Microsoft Store apps for Windows devices. To time-restrict any specific app, click the three dots next to it and select the Set a limit option.
4. Next, choose which days of the week you want to set a limit. By default, it's set for every day. Further, select how many hours your child can use this app and then set the schedule between 12:00AM and 11:59PM. Finally, click Done.
5. If you would like to block an app on your child's device, click the three dots next to the app name and select the Block App option.

Monitor and restrict web activities

Using the Family app, you can monitor your children's web activity and restrict websites you don't want them to access. However, this will only work with the Edge browser, so ensure that your child uses only that on their device. Well, there's actually an option for forcing that too. Here's how to check and control web activities using the Family app on your Windows 11 system.

1. Switch to the Edge tab after launching the app and selecting your child's account.
2. Scroll down, and under the Activity section, check the Searches and Websites.
3. Further down, under the Filter Settings, toggle the button next to Filter inappropriate websites and searches to turn it on if it isn't. Enabling this will also block any other browser for your child and only allow Edge.
4. Enabling the web filter will open more options to tighten the control. You will have the option to create a Blocked site and an Allowed site list. Further, you can enable the Only use allowed website option so that the child can only visit the websites on the allowed list.
5. You can further enable the option to always allow the educational websites to run.

More security settings

Using your Windows device, you can further set the Age Rating, purchase setting, and more from the account settings.

1. Under your child's account, click the Settings option.
2. Adjust the settings as per your choice. At the bottom, there's also a Send Email button that will immediately send you this week's report of your child's activities on the connected devices.
3. Finally, after configuring the settings, click Done.

Control your child's online activities with care

With the Family app's parental control options, you can easily take authority over your child's online activities across several devices. However, doing so might make your child anxious about continuous monitoring. So, reassure them that you aren't actually spying on them but rather making sure their online actions are educational and entertaining in the best way. Don't over-restrict them, but teach them the importance of cybersecurity and the dos and don'ts of the internet.