Complete Guide to Setting Up Windows Parental Controls: Protecting Your Child in the Digital World​

As of May 2023, according to Statcounter, Windows dominates 74.89% of the desktop operating system market share. According to Microsoft, the company behind Windows, 1.4 billion people use Windows 10 or 11 worldwide. Arguably, a large portion of Windows users are children who need guidance. Microsoft, like many other tech companies, understood the need for parents to protect their children in a digital world. That’s why they’ve included parental controls in their latest Windows entries.  Read on to understand how to enable Windows 10 parental controls and how to use the various features it provides.

 

How to Enable Windows 10 Parental Controls

First, you have to add your child to your family group. Follow these steps:

  • Go to the Windows Start Menu > Select “Settings” > “Accounts.”

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • Choose “Family & other users” > “Add a family member.”

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • Enter the email linked to your child’s Microsoft account and sign in with it.
  •  If your child doesn’t have a Microsoft account, click “Create one for a child.”
  •  Enter the email address you want for your child.

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • Fill in the required information such as country, region, your child’s first and last name, and their birthdate. Afterward, choose a password.
  •  Sign in with your child’s Microsoft account.

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • Agree to the terms & conditions and give consent for your child’s Microsoft account.
  • Go to your email inbox and, in the confirmation email that Microsoft has sent, click on “Connect a device.”

 

Connecting Your Child’s Devices to Their Microsoft Account

After enabling Windows 10 Parental Controls, it’s time to manage the specific settings for your child’s device. To manage Windows parental control, follow these steps:

  • Go to the Windows Start Menu > Click on “Settings” > “Accounts” > “Family & other users” > “Manage family settings online”

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • Here, in your family settings, you’ll see every child’s profile that you’ve added. To change the settings for each child individually, select the three dots at the top-right corner. Then select “Go to overview”

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • Here you can see all the available parental control settings on Windows 10. Select “How to connect a device”
  • Choose an option, “Windows 10 Device”, “Xbox Consoles”, “Android Phones”, or “iPhones”

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

  • After selecting the type of device your child uses, follow the instructions. You’ll have to download the Microsoft Family Safety app for iPhones and Android Phones, either using the QR code or the link provided.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive and flexible solution, consider a third-party parental control solutions like Safes

What Features Do Windows 10 Parental Controls Provide? 

The features provided with Windows 10 Parental Controls are categorized into three main sections: Screen time, Content filter, and Spending.

Screen Time on Windows 10 

You can set screen time limits on your child’s devices. These limits can be specific to each device, or you can set a schedule that spans across all devices connected to your child’s account. 

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

The screen time limits can also be adjusted for each specific app or game instead of individual devices. This means that you can set a schedule for one game and a different schedule for another. 

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

Content Filter on Windows 10 

Windows 10 parental controls grant you the ability to filter content that your child searches on Microsoft Edge. You can block specific keywords so that your child can’t search for them. You can also specify websites as exceptions to the rule. 

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

Regarding apps and games, the parental controls allow you to restrict your child’s apps and games based on their age rating. Microsoft blocks some apps for your child by default, but you can change these. 

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

Spending on Windows 10

In the spending section, you can add money to your child’s account balance.  There’s also the option to add credit cards. If you feel the need, toggle the “Require approval for every purchase” on. 

 

Screenshot of Windows 10 Parental Control Setup

 

Limitations and Shortcomings of Windows Parental Controls 

With all its wonderful features, Windows 10 parental controls has some serious shortcomings. These include: 

  • Lack of support for Android tablets, and non-Windows computers 
  • Keyword web filtering only works on Microsoft Edge, specifically on Bing, Microsoft’s search engine 
  • The app blocking on Windows only works on Store apps 
  • The iOS app is limited in features 

Safes — All-Around Parental Control Application for Windows 10

Safes is a parental control app for Windows 10 that helps you create a safer digital presence for your children. We’ve covered the loopholes in the built-in Family Safety parental control and created a solution that is both more comprehensive and more flexible

Supplementing Windows Parental Controls with Third-Party Apps 

Using a third-party parental control app like Safes can help supplement the shortcomings of built-in parental control settings. Safes is available on iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS. With Safes you can: 

  • Set screen time limits for individual apps 
  • Implement smart schedules for each app 
  • Filter websites on multiple browsers 
  • Block specific keywords on search engines 
  • Track your child’s live location 
  • Be notified when your child has searched a blocked keyword or searched a blocked website 
  • Instantly block your child’s apps at the press of a button 

How to Set Up Safes for Windows 

After downloading Safes for Windows on your child’s device, open the installer and click “install.”  After installation is complete, click “Start Now.” You’ll be asked to enter a pairing code. 

Screenshot of Safes Parental Control Setup

Now it’s time to install Safes on your own phone. Safes family is available both for iOS and Android. You can also access Safes Family through your browser using our web panel. Simply sign up to gain access to our features. 

Whether you’ve installed the Safes app on your phone or used our web panel, you’ll be able to add your child at the press of a button. When adding your child, you’ll be given a pair code. This is the code you must enter into the Safes Kid app installed on your child’s Windows device. Now your child’s device is paired, and all the features mentioned above, and more, are unlocked. 

All Set for Your Kids’ Digital Wellbeing

Safes offers everything you need to create a safe and distraction-free digital experience for your kids

• Multi-Platform Monitoring

With Safes, you can remotely monitor and control a diverse array of devices and operating systems, not just windows 10. Apart from Windows, Safes supports all devices running on iOS, Android, and macOS.

• Detailed Activity Reports

Learn all about your kids’ digital behavior within seconds. Safes activity reports covers several bases, including screen time, app and social media usage, and blocked content requests.

• Screen Time Management

Set a screen time limit or create a smart day-to-day schedule to protect your kids from sleep disorders, excessive and harmful screen time, and distractions.

• Website Content Filtering

Block out inappropriate web content like violence, hate speech, and pornography. You can do this based on specific websites, content categories, or keywords. This feature is available for all browsers including Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

• App & Video Game Block

Protect your kids from inappropriate, distracting, or addictive apps. You can block, limit, or schedule your kid’s access to any app — like video games or social media — with our control app for Windows 10.

• Science-based Profiles

Safes simplifies your monitoring process by suggesting profiles that apply psychologist-recommended rules and limits based on your child’s age.

• Uninstall Protection

Don’t worry about your kid bypassing your rules. Safes uninstall protection ensures only you can remove the app from your child’s device

Conclusion 

Windows 10 parental controls are a great way to get started if you want to keep your child safe in the digital realm. It has great features that work well, especially on Windows devices or if your child has an Xbox. But if you want to have access to more tools that can work across multiple devices and platforms, Safes is for you. Overall, the point is that your child is kept safe, and we think Safes is the best option on the market to do exactly that. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Have any questions? We’re here to help!

Safes parental control supports all Windows 10 and Windows 11 versions.

No. We analyzed the loopholes in Microsoft Family Safety that allows kids to bypass parental controls and covered them. You can rest assured that Safes parental controls will stay in place.

Yes. You can add specific website URLs to your block list or block them based on categories and keywords.

Yes. But only parents can add exceptions to disable Safes functions.

Yes. Safes offers detailed reports on your kids’ usage habits on their computer. You can review the reports through your Safes web panel or parental mobile app.

Download Safes Kids for Chrombook

  1. Install the Safes Kids app on your Chromebook from Google Play. 
  2. Pair Safes Kids with parent app. Follow the instructions in the app to pair your child’s device with your parent device.  
  3. Add the Safe Kids Chrome extension. Open Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store. 
  4. Navigate to the Manage extensions page. Click the three dots in the top right corner of Chrome and select “Extensions”>”Manage Extensions”>”Details”
  5. Turn on “Allow in incognito mode” This will allow the Safe Kids extension to work in incognito mode, which is important if your child uses incognito mode to try to bypass the parental controls.
  6. Select Safes extension and follow on-screen instruction

Download Safes Kids for Android

Download the Android Kid’s app directly to get the full features!

Download Safes Kids App on Play Store

Download Safes Kids App on Play Store

Safe Kids is available on the Google Play Store, but if you download it directly from our website, you will get access to Call and SMS monitoring feature, You can monitor the phone calls of your child’s device, as well as the contacts and messages they have sent and received, including those containing inappropriate content.