Parental controls in Windows – how to set them up and what they can do. What features are available in Parental Controls? Creating an adult family member account

The world around us is changing very quickly. Gadgets and the Internet have become an integral part of our lives. Children master everything at lightning speed latest news — social media, games, programs. The Internet helps them develop and learn. At the same time, the Internet is anonymous and difficult to control. Children are inquisitive; they do not yet have the life experience that would allow them to identify deception and manipulation. That is why the consciousness and preparedness of each user is the main guarantee of his safety. It is obvious that without the assistance of adults, our children - perhaps more “advanced” on the Internet, but naive in life situations - can fall into the hands of online scammers and cybercriminals.

The world around us is changing very quickly. Gadgets and the Internet have become an integral part of our lives. Children quickly master all the latest innovations - social networks, games, programs. The Internet helps them develop and learn. At the same time, the Internet is anonymous and difficult to control. Children are inquisitive; they do not yet have the life experience that would allow them to identify deception and manipulation. That is why the consciousness and preparedness of each user is the main guarantee of his safety. It is obvious that without the assistance of adults, our children - perhaps more “advanced” on the Internet, but naive in life situations - can fall into the hands of online scammers and cybercriminals.

Microsoft has always cared about the safety of our children on the Internet. For this purpose, the system has a parental control function. Today I will tell you how to set it up and use it effectively, thereby protecting your children from danger on the Internet.

Parental Control Features

With the help of this software component, a child can use the computer and the Internet more safely. Parental controls give parents access to such features

Monitoring the actions performed by the child.
Allows you to download and install games depending on the age limit.
Monitors the use of browsers and stores the history of website visits.
Limits the time the child can work with the device.

After modifications, Windows 10 appeared additional features this software component. With their help, you can control the purchase of applications and games in the Windows online store in accordance with five age categories:

for any age;
from 6 years;
from 12 years old
from 16 years old;
from 18 years old.

About all this and more in more detail.

Create an account with parental control settings in Windows 10

First of all, we need to create an account with which the child will constantly work. To do this, open “Settings” (here you can use the Win + I keys simultaneously). Next, go to the section account, expand the “Family and other users” tab and click on the “Add family member” link.

In the dialog box that appears, you must move the switch to the “Add child account” position and enter the child’s e-mail address. But if there is no mail, then just click the link “The user does not have an address specified Email"and in the next window you will need to go through the mailbox registration procedure.

If an email address was not specified, then create one and enter a password for it, and also indicate the country and day of birth of the child. If the child is less than eight years old, the system will immediately set settings with increased security measures for of this account. Well, if he is already older, then it is better to configure all the parameters yourself; you can do the same in the previous case.

You will then be prompted to enter your phone number and additional Mailbox. This is in case you forget the password for your child’s account. You will also be prompted to enable the Microsoft Advertising service. It’s up to you to decide whether to do this or not, especially since you can disable this service at any time.

A few more moments and an account will appear on your computer that your child can use. There is another important aspect - you can decide as who your child will log into the system. To do this, double-click on the child's account. Now you can change the account type: administrator or standard user.

Parental Control Settings

To configure parental control settings, go to the “Family and other users” section, where open the “Manage family settings online” item.

After this, Windows 10 will open in front of you in a new browser window. Here, select the user you are monitoring and configure the monitoring function.

On the left side you will see the settings sections that will be available to you. I’ll tell you about each of them separately.

Recent Activity

This section will allow you to monitor your child’s actions, the addresses of the pages he viewed, and also monitor total time stay behind the device. In addition, an option to send email messages to parents is included.

"InPrivate Browsing" is designed to browse websites anonymously without collecting information about open pages, but children under eight years old cannot use it.

Internet browsing mode

When I first came here, I saw that the blocking function was already activated inappropriate content, in addition, a special Safe search. Here you can independently add the necessary sites to which you want to block access. But you should know that all these restrictions will apply exclusively to standard Edge browsers and Internet Explorer. Therefore, it is necessary to additionally block the operation of third-party browsers for this account.

Parents can block individual sites that they consider dangerous for their child. To do this, enter their web addresses into the “Always block these” table; adults will deprive the child of the opportunity to visit such individual sites. Tighter control can be achieved using the “Allow these” table. Sites included in this table will be allowed to be viewed, but all others will be blocked.

Applications, games and multimedia

The “Programs and Games” section contains data about the applications used, including utilities and standard Windows 10 software, as well as Desktop games. In addition, information about the time of their application is displayed. In addition, parents can limit the launch of various applications if they are displayed in the list or according to age criteria.

Timer for working with the product

Quite often I hear from many friends and acquaintances that the child spends a lot of time at the computer. Thanks to parental controls, you can adjust and control this time. For each day of the week, a certain number of hours is set, which the child can use at a time convenient for him, but, for example, not earlier and not later than a certain time. As punishment, the computer may be blocked for the whole day.

Microsoft has also provided a mechanism for evading the rules. Children can ask their parents Extra time working with a computer. As soon as they see a message on the screen that their time has passed, they can use the “Get additional time” button in the same message.

Purchases And expenses

In this section, parents can track what games or programs their child is purchasing from the Windows 10 Store or in-apps. Although it is advisable that the child does not do this on his own.

Also, thanks to this section, parents can replenish their child’s account by transferring funds from their bank card. This allows parents to know how the child uses their funds and does not transfer them to scammers’ accounts.

Search for a child

This is also a fairly important section of monitoring your child’s actions. Thanks to it, you will always know where your son or daughter is, and you will also be able to locate the device lost by the child. To do this, the location function must always be turned on in the device.

Xbox Privacy Options

Another important section in the Parental Control settings is the Xbox privacy settings.

Those who have an Xbox console can finally easily set up access to the console directly from their computer. Parents can control their child’s account and see which games they bought or downloaded for free.

After some manipulation, children and teens are unable to change the online safety and privacy settings of Xbox for their accounts. Only a parent or other adult member of the Microsoft family can view and change these settings for a child's account (either on the console or online).

Disadvantages of parental controls in Windows 10

But after some time of practical use, I noticed some shortcomings in the operation of Parental Control. They are not critical, but you should be aware of them too.

The main drawback is the fact that for some reason I was unable to obtain information about the sites that were visited. Although, in theory, all the necessary settings were included. Perhaps there were some problems at work here Microsoft server and then it all worked. However, it is likely that only those sites on which the child has spent some time can be displayed.

If the child downloaded applications and free programs from the store, information about this as a purchase will not be displayed. Only if you run the application, it will appear in the statistics of running programs.

Any information about what programs the child is running will appear with some delay. Sometimes it may take several hours before you see her. Once I only got information the next day. And accordingly, only after this it becomes possible to block an unwanted application. And this is already a problem.

I have already written that access to unwanted web pages can only be blocked in the standard Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer browsers. Through any other browser, the child can easily open the site he needs. A child can also unlock a resource by sending a request to parents to gain access to it.

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Parental control is a function that allows you to monitor your child’s work on the PC, limit the list of applications to launch, and block access to the network. However, setting up and disabling parental controls on Windows 10 differs from the methods for Windows 7 and 8. Therefore, let’s look at ways to remove parental controls in Windows 10.

Setting up parental controls on Windows 10

The parental controls feature can only be enabled if a child's account has been added to Windows 10. In order to create an account for a minor PC user, you should follow these steps:

Click “Start”, “Settings” and select “Accounts”.

A new window will open. In the menu on the left, select “Family and other users.” Click “Add user”.

The next step is to indicate that you want to create a child account and click “Next.”

In the new window you need to indicate your full name, date of birth, e-mail (if not, then select outlook mail), password. Click “Next” again.

The next step is to enter your phone number or email address to link your child's account to Microsoft records and be able to recover your login and password if it is lost.

Now that you have created a child's account, you can set up parental controls on Windows 10. To do this, you need to go to the Microsoft website and enter your username and password. A list of accounts on your PC will appear. Click on the child's account. A new window will open. In the menu on the left there will be sections in which you can set certain settings for access to the network, programs and PC in general.

In the “Recent activity” section, you can see what actions your child performed during his last visit.

In the “Web browsing” section, you can set network pages to which access will be restricted. You can also limit the use of programs in the next section “Apps, games & media” (Applications, games, media).

The “Screen time” section is the most important. It is in this section that you can set the time when the PC will be available for use and when it will be turned off.

In the "Purchase & spending" section, you can add money to your child's account and keep track of his purchases in the Microsoft Store or Xbox.

The last section, “Find your child,” is designed to track a person’s whereabouts. Thanks to this section, you can see where, when and from what device your child accessed the network or used software.

Disable parental controls

Parental controls are automatically disabled when your child's account is deleted. Therefore, just follow the link, enter your username and password. Next, you need to go to the “Accounts” section and click “Delete” on the child’s account.

Parental controls will now be disabled. Also, if the child’s account has not disappeared from the Settings section, it must be deleted manually. Afterwards we recommend restarting your PC.

To learn how to set up parental controls on Windows 10, watch the video:

The parental control tool, which Tens users lost sight of, has in fact not disappeared anywhere. It only slightly changed the format and received a new name - “Family Safety”, but its task remained the same - to protect children from unwanted content and provide parents with the opportunity control their actions on the computer. Today we'll talk how to use new interface parental controls in Windows 10 and what features they have.

Limiting the time a child sits at a PC and arbitrarily extending it via email.
Monitoring the type and duration of operations (how much time the child played, how much he spent on the Internet, what sites he visited, etc.).
Blocking applications and Internet resources based on age limit.
Content filtering. Works only in EDGE and Internet Explorer browsers.
Restricting access to Windows Store and Xbox Store content based on age.
Opening an individual child account for purchases in the Windows and Xbox Store, which is topped up by the parent. This eliminates the need to provide children with bank card details.
View your child's purchases from the Windows and Xbox Store.
Determining the location of the device (the function only works on smartphones).
Checking the availability of updates, monitoring the level of system security.
Manage parental control functions from any device through a single web interface.

Content access restrictions are set automatically based on the child's age specified by the parent. But the parent himself can make certain changes to them, for example, creating lists of prohibited and allowed sites.

How to install and enable parental controls

Family Safety is a built-in component of the operating system, so it does not require separate installation. To start using it, the parent and child must have their own Microsoft accounts. In addition, the parent's account must have administrator privileges on the computer (or other device running Windows 10, for example, game console Xbox and phone, which also have this function), and the computer must be connected to the Internet.

Enabling the component to work begins with adding the child’s account to the system as a family member. To do this, launch the “Settings” application, go to the accounts section, click “Family and other people” in the left panel. In the right half of the window, click the “Add Family Member” button.

In the new window, check the “Add a child’s account” checkbox and enter his email address linked to his Microsoft account in the field below. If you did not have time to create a child mail account in advance, click “User does not have an email address” and follow the system prompts.

After confirmation, the system will send an invitation to join your family as a child to the email address you entered.

It should be accepted.

When the invitation is accepted, the following notification will appear on the screen.

To go to the parental control settings, click “Family management” in it. This will open the Microsoft Edge browser and take you to the Manage Family Accounts page.

While here, you can top up your child’s personal account from your bank card, view actions performed under his account, set up and change control parameters. We will return to this page several times throughout the review.

In the future, you will be able to access family safety management through the Settings application, Accounts - Family and Other People section, by clicking the Manage Family Settings Online button.

How to set up parental controls

Topping up a child's personal account

If you are going to let your son or daughter make purchases in the Windows and Xbox stores, transfer some money to his account from your bank card or Qiwi wallet. To do this, on the “Family Management” page, click the “Add Money” button.

Select a source of funds replenishment:

Enter your card details and confirm payment:

After replenishing the account, the child will be able to spend funds only on permitted purchases. He will not be able to cash out money, transfer it to another account or spend it on third-party sites.

Restriction on access to content

To set restrictions on your child's access to content hard drives computer and Internet resources, return to the “Family Management” page, click “Advanced options” and “Content restrictions”.

The following settings are collected here:

Allow and control your child's purchases in the Windows Store. Setting options: Ask/don't ask for parental consent for every purchase. Report/don't report your child's purchases by email.
Use of programs, games, multimedia content. The setting option is to block / not block content according to the age limit.

Always allow (list of applications, games, content).
Always prohibit (list of applications, games, content). By default, the main third-party web browsers are listed here: Google Chrome,Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Sogue High-speed Browser, 360 Safe Browser and 360 Browser. This is done to prevent the child from visiting unwanted web resources, bypassing parental controls.

Browsing the web. Setting options - block / not block. When blocked, adult content is excluded from viewing and SafeSearch is enabled.
Always allowed sites (the list is created by the parent).
Always prohibited sites (the list is created by the parent).

Limiting time spent on the computer

To set your computer usage time, go back to Family Management, open Advanced Settings, and select Device Usage Time.

Xbox Time Limit. The choices are limit/not limit.
PC time limit. Options: limit/not limit.

When you enable the “Limit” option, a weekly schedule of allowed and prohibited hours for using a computer or game console opens. The countdown is based on the device's screen time.

To change the schedule, click on the hour scale of the selected day of the week and enter new values in the window that opens. If you wish, you can set multiple blocking periods throughout the day.

View your child's activities on the computer and receive reports

Open Family Management again and click the Action button. There are 2 settings on the “Recent Activities” tab:

Generate reports on your child’s activities on the device.
Send weekly reports to the parent via email.

Below on the tab is a summary of recently performed actions that the system recorded. This:

Search queries.
Web pages viewed.
Applications and games that the child launched.
At what time did the child use the device?

View your child's account status and purchases in the Windows and Xbox Store

Return to home page Family Safety, open More Options and select Expenses. When you go to the expense control section, you will see the amount of your account balance and a shopping list.

By the way, if a child tries to purchase unauthorized content, the system will block payment.

Device location

If parental controls are used on mobile phone With geolocation enabled, you can track your child's location on the map. On desktop computers and Xbox this feature does not work.

To enable the feature, on the Family Safety page, open the “Advanced options” list and select “Find user on map.” If your device supports the feature, the enable button you'll see next will be active. Below you will see a map of the area and the point where the child’s phone is located.

How to disable parental controls

Any family member with computer administrator rights can disable parental controls for an individual child account. Disabling is done in two ways:

Raising the rights of the child's account to the level of PC administrator.
By removing his account from among family members (figuratively).

To change the account type to "Administrator", launch the "Settings" utility, open account management and go to the "Family and other people" section. Click on the child's account and click the "Change Type" button that appears.

To turn off parental controls the second way, go to the Family Safety management web page, open Extra options child’s account and click “Remove from family.”

This will remove the child's Microsoft account from the computer, but the child's local account information will remain in place.

If you have a child who actively uses the computer, then it will be useful for you to learn how to enable parental controls on Windows 10. This tool allows you to set the working time on the computer, prohibit visiting certain sites and launching certain applications.

Limiting the time spent on the computer and protecting the child from threats on the Internet is the main task of parental control. If you use Windows 7, then you will find it helpful to set up parental controls, but if you use Windows 10, then continue reading this article.

Create a new profile

To control your child’s behavior, you need to create a separate account for him:

Press - Win + I or open Settings through the Start menu.
Go to "Accounts". You need the Family and other users tab.
Click "Add...".

To work with a child's profile, an Internet connection is required - this is perhaps the only drawback of the control tool in Windows 10; in earlier Windows versions all actions were performed offline.

Setting up control

Once you log in to the Microsoft website, you will see a list of your family’s profiles. Go to manage your child's account. Parental controls are configured in the sections located in the menu on the left.

Let's look at the tabs in order:

Browsing the web. Unwanted sites are blocked by default, but if necessary, you can add links to other resources to the ban list, access to which you want to block. The blocking only applies to Edge and Internet Explorer, so to prevent your child from accessing sites through other browsers, they need to be blocked in the next tab.
Applications and games. This contains information about the programs running on the child's account. You can add applications to the block list that your child should not open - browsers (except Edge and IE), games. For an application to appear in the list, you need to launch it once in your child's profile.
Operation timer. This section sets the operating duration. You set the time when your child can use the computer and when the account becomes unavailable for login.

You are unlikely to need the “Shopping” and “Searching for a Child” sections, but they are worth getting to know. In the first section, you can track your child's spending in the Windows Store. There is also the opportunity to put money on the balance so that the young user can spend it at his own discretion.

The "Child Finder" function is used on portable devices, running on Windows 10 (smartphones, tablets), to detect the location of a young user.

Checking the function

If the site that the teenager is trying to go to is on the list of prohibited sites, the browser will deny access to this resource(read also: ). A button to send your permission request via email will appear in your browser window. If the parent sees that there is nothing on the site that could harm the child, then he can manually grant him access.

As mentioned above, it only works in the built-in Windows browsers – Edge and Internet Explorer. Therefore, do not forget to block other browsers in the “Applications and Games” tab.

Another feature of the control function on Windows 10 is that reports on enabled applications and computer usage time come with a slight delay. Additionally, the purchase information does not show installation information free applications, although formally this is also a purchase. But in general, the parental control function performs its main task, allowing you to monitor how your child spends time on the computer.

Version 10 continued the tradition of respect operating system Windows virtual spaces of each user and offered not only visually but also technically improved tools for several people to work with a computer. By dividing users into friends and strangers, Windows 10, in conjunction with a Microsoft account, offers its users - family members - more opportunities. More does not mean better for some, but it is definitely more profitable and convenient for others. Since Windows 10 provides for managing the parental control function in the web interface of a Microsoft account, parents, no matter how far they are from their children, can quickly change previously established conditions - weaken them or strengthen them, even blocking access to the system. But, about everything in more detail: below we will consider the specifics of creating and managing family accounts, as well as the operation of the parental control function in Windows system 10.

1. Family Accounts in Windows 10

In Windows 10, some system settings have moved to the Settings application, and their counterparts in the Control Panel are either duplicated or eliminated. The Control Panel still provides functions for changing the type, name, and deleting user accounts, but Windows 10 allows you to create them only within the Settings application. Only in the “Settings” application are the options available to create new accounts, switch from local to accounts linked to a Microsoft account, configure synchronization settings, change the password, set a PIN code, and connect to resources from your place of work or school. So, let's launch the Settings application.

And select “Accounts”.

The “Other users” column is nothing more than functionality for adding regular accounts – both local and those connected to a Microsoft account. A non-family user can be either a standard user or an administrator. Children's accounts in Windows 10 are created only as part of working with family accounts.

To create accounts from the family circle, the first column “Your family” is intended. You can work with this column provided that the current account Windows entry 10, in addition to having administrator rights, must be connected to a Microsoft account, and each family member must have one. Because it contains the whole essence of family accounts. If you set up work with family accounts on one computer, their data will be synchronized on other computers. And for this you will need to connect the Microsoft account of only one family member. The only condition is that all computers used by the family must have Windows 10 installed, and not an earlier version of the system.

Family accounts are divided into adult and child accounts. Each adult family member can access parental control settings in the web interface of their Microsoft account. Children can use this equality of parents in the educational process for their own purposes - what, for example, dad did not allow, mom can allow if the child is able to put the situation in the right light or press for pity.

2. Create an account for an adult family member

To create a family member account, in the “Your Family” column, click “Add Family Member.”

In this case, we select an adult, enter his email address in the form field, which is also the login of his Microsoft account, and click “Next.”

Click “Confirm”.

We will see a notification that an invitation to join the family has been sent to this user’s email.

To complete the process, this user must go to the mail, open the letter from Microsoft Family and click the “Accept invitation” button that contains it.

3. Create a child account

As in the previous case, to add a child’s account, in the “Your family” column, click the button to add a new family member. In the window that opens, select the child and enter his email address in the form field. Click “Next”.

Confirm adding the user.

We are waiting for an invitation at the child’s post office.

The child’s email, as in the case of creating an account for an adult family member, will receive an invitation from Microsoft Family that must be accepted.

4. Create accounts for family members in the Microsoft account web interface

Another advantage of the functionality of family accounts in Windows 10 is the ability to add them in the Microsoft account web interface. By logging into the browser window, any adult family member can add another member - an adult or a child. Moreover, adults can add new family members regardless of whose Microsoft account is connected to the Windows 10 computers they are using. In the “Family” section, you need to click either “Add an adult” or “Add a child.”

The adult or child whose account was just added must go to their mailbox and accept the email invitation from Microsoft Family. After which, a new adult or child account will appear on all synchronized computers with Windows 10. But entry into it will be prohibited. Only the administrator of each individual computer used in the family can allow access. To do this, the administrator needs to go to the accounts section, open the “Family and other users” tab and click the “Allow” button next to the account of the added family member.

The permission is additionally confirmed with administrator rights.

5. Managing family members' accounts

Some actions with family accounts, like with regular accounts, are available in the panel Windows management 10. Accounts can be deleted, as well as changed from administrator to standard user and vice versa. The only benefit of the Control Panel in this regard is the ability to delete accounts, since you can't do this in the Settings app.

Uninstall using the control panel Windows account recording a child or adult. Press the +X keys, select “Control Panel”, go to the “User Accounts” section.

Select “Delete user accounts”.

From the list of existing accounts, click on the one that is to be deleted, and, in fact, delete it...

completely or with preservation of user profile folder data.

There is no option to delete family accounts in the Settings app because this functionality is pushed to the web interface of each family member's Microsoft account. We’ll return to this point later, but for now let’s look at the capabilities of the “Family and other users” tab.

As in the control panel, here you can change the account type from administrator to standard user and vice versa.

Instead of removing the account from the family circle, the administrator can temporarily (or permanently) block it - i.e. Prevent an adult or child from logging in to your current Windows 10 computer.

At any time, the same administrator can remove the login ban and allow an adult or child to use the computer.

We will get more options for managing family accounts in the web interface of your Microsoft account, in the “Family” section. The computer administrator can access this section via a direct link at the bottom of the “Family and other users” tab.

A family member, if he is no longer a family member or simply does not fit in, can be removed by clicking the “Remove from family” option.

This will remove the adult or child account from all Windows 10 computers synced with the family.

For adults, this is where the family account options end. But for children, in fact, they are just beginning. After all, the main feature of such family unity is parental control of children.

6. Parental controls in Windows 10

The advantage of parental controls in Windows 10 is that parents will have access to them anywhere in the world where there is Internet access. There is no need to install any additional components into the system. Windows type Live, as it was during the heyday of Windows 7. At the same time, the parental control function in the absence of the Internet will be absolutely useless. Locally, parents will only be able to general principle Limit the child's account by changing the administrator type to standard user.

With the Internet, things will be better. In the “Family” section of the web interface of their Microsoft account, each parent will be able to see the accounts of all added children, view data for each of them and make settings for their work with the computer.

Recent Activity – This section enables an activity reports button so parents can periodically review what sites their child is visiting. Children cannot use the browser's privacy mode.

The “Web Browsing” section is a site filter. In addition to the fact that the child’s account already provides filtering and blocking of web resources for adults, parents can block individual unwanted sites. By entering their web addresses into the “Always block these” table, adults will prevent the child from visiting such individual sites. Tighter control can be achieved using the “Always allow these” table. The sites included in this table will be allowed for viewing, but all others will be blocked.

The only caveat is that the system for tracking child activity and blocking sites is intended only for two full-time Windows browsers 10 Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. All third-party browsers will have to be blocked along with unwanted programs and games. And for these purposes, the “Applications, Games, Multimedia” section is intended, which provides for blocking programs and games prohibited for the child. In this section you can also set the age of the child, and he will have to be content with content from the Windows Store according to the age rating system.

“Device timer” is a section where parents can limit their child’s work with the computer. For each day of the week, a certain number of hours is set, which the child can use at a time convenient for him, but, for example, not earlier and not later than a certain time. As punishment, the computer may be blocked for the whole day.

Microsoft has also provided a mechanism for deviating from the rules. Children can beg their parents for additional computer time. Once they see a notification on the screen that their time is up, they can use the “Get More Time” button in that same notification.

Adults will receive a letter from Microsoft Family in the mail with a message that their child is asking for more time to work with the computer. This letter will also offer ready-made options with session extension times.

Other parental control features in the Microsoft account web interface include a Purchase History section for tracking your child's purchases in the Windows Store and a Find My Child feature. The child search function works in conjunction with mobile devices on Windows based 10 Mobile. If the child is logged in using the same Microsoft account, parents will be able to control his movement on the map or determine where he left his phone.

As you can see, Microsoft offers a very good set of parental control options. Such opportunities could have already supplanted third-party paid programs for parental control, if not for one “but”. Microsoft is still working to improve the functionality of parental controls, and at the time of writing this article, only the timer function for a child working with a computer turned out to be fully functional. Well, let's wait for the final format of Microsoft's efforts.

Have a great day!