How to Use Parental Controls on Your Google, Apple, and Microsoft Accounts

You can make sure, for example, that only essential apps like the Phone app are available after a certain time at night. Screen Time works on Apple computers and mobile devices, so settings are transferable, and of course, you can adjust these settings at any time as your kids grow.

Microsoft

The Microsoft account you use to sign in to Windows can form the basis of a family group, which allows you to keep tabs on your children. These features work on Windows, Android, and Xbox, and to a limited extent on iOS (again, Apple doesn’t really allow other software the necessary access to phone monitoring apps).

In this case, there is some confusion between old and new tools. The best place to start is the Microsoft Family Safety website. From there, you can designate people in your family (families can have up to six people, including you) and sign in to Microsoft Family Safety on the web, Androidand iOS.

You can manage your Microsoft family on the web and on your mobile phone.

Photo: David Nield

All the regular features for your family can be accessed through the web and mobile apps. Select one of your kids and you can see where they are on a map (based on the location of their Android device), see how much time they spend on their device, and set limits on screen time, app usage, and internet. entry.

As with Google and Apple, children 13 and older can have their own Microsoft account, and you can create accounts for children younger than that. On Windows and Xbox, apps and games can be filtered by age, and web and search limits can be set through the Microsoft Edge browser. Apps can be blocked on Windows, Xbox or Android.