How to Set Up Windows 10 Parental Controls

This article will teach you how to set up Parental Controls on Windows 10. Actually, it is rather easy to set up Windows 10 Parental Controls – provided you already know how, of course.

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft has redefined the way we, users, perceive privacy and security. The latest Windows version far exceeds its predecessors in the vast number of different security settings it offers, but also the staggering amount of data it may potentially have access to. This has in turn led to much controversy and, though the amount of people opposed to Microsoft’s policies is rather large and their outrage was made known, there’s arguably an equal amount of people in favor of the new settings and newly introduced security mechanisms. One such category is formed by parents, who are willing to take the extra step in making sure their youngsters stay out of trouble. We’re talking about the Parental Control options. These features enable parents to keep track of their children’s PC usage, including the websites they visit, what content they’ve been interacting with and it even goes as far as to inform parents about the software their kids had been using.

Of course, it’s understandable that some concerned parents would like to ensure as much safety for their children, as they possibly can. The Internet can be a dark and scary place, hiding numerous threats, all of which we are well aware of. Naturally, protective parental instincts would dictate that the child’s exposure to these threats be limited. Thus, child accounts came to be, which adults can configure to limit access to certain apps, websites, etc. On the flipside of this thoughtful feature is the weekly report that is sent to the parent or guardian, who created the child account. It basically contains a record of each step the child has made on that particular PC: a list of visited websites, how much time was spent on each of them, as well as, which programs and for how long were used by the kid. Many parents were unaware of this prying into their children’s life and were quite frankly horrified to find out about it consequently.

However, you’re not bound to this activity report and if you don’t want to see it – you don’t have to. You can opt out of the weekly email and it’s only a matter of a few clicks. Setting up an accounts for your kid is also simple and we’ll show you here how to that.

How to Set Up Windows 10 Parental Controls

The Guide

Creating an account:

First off, go to Settings  and choose Accounts. In the menu select Family & other users. To the right you will see an option called Add a family member. Click that and in the new dialogue box that appears choose Add a child. In the designated email field you can either enter your child’s email address, if they have one. If not, enter your own email address and click Next, then Confirm. Make sure to confirm your email address, which will result in the account being created.

Managing security settings:

Once you’ve set up the account, it’s time to configure the various settings. Again, head over to Settings -> Accounts -> Family & other users. Click on Manage family settings online. This will open a new window in your browser, on which you will be offered a number of different settings for you to edit. You will be able to adjust the settings regarding the weekly activity report there. Also, you will be able to set limitations regarding web pages, apps, games and you will even be able to restrict your child’s screen time. The last option will allow you to program each day separately, if need be, and include things like evening study time, for example. In addition to all this, each child account can have a given amount of money on it for purchasing programs and games. You decide how much your child will be allowed to spend and you will also have a purchase history available to you, so you are always aware of what exactly your kid has been buying.