Manage family safety settings for Zune

Published: April 21, 2008

Microsoft makes it easy for you to create the right Zune entertainment experience for your whole family.

With Zune family safety settings, parents can:

•	Block the download or purchase of music flagged by the publisher as having explicit content.
•	Set up an administrator account and set restrictions on the purchase of content or the download of explicit content.

Configure your Zune family safety settings

Before you can set up family safety settings, both you and your children must have Windows Live IDs. If you and your children have Windows Live Hotmail accounts, you already have Windows Live IDs. Otherwise you must create them.

Create your parent account first, and then create accounts for your children. When you create nicknames for your child or for yourself, make sure the nickname doesn't include personally identifying information. For example, you might use SavvySue instead of DetroitSue.

Set up your parent account

1.	Download the Zune software. The Welcome to Zune window opens:
2.	Click customize settings first.
3.	Sign in with your existing Windows Live ID or create a new account in the top right corner of the page.
4.	Create a nickname (also called a Zune Tag) to use on the Zune Marketplace, and then click Next.
5.	Enter your account information to set up an account in the Zune Marketplace. Click Next to finish your setup.

Set up accounts for your children

Sign out of your parent account.

Sign back in to Zune with the child account you want to add. If your children don't already have Windows Live IDs, create one for each child.

Create a nickname for your child to use in the Zune Marketplace, and then click Next. Because this nickname is visible to other members of the Marketplace, choose a name that doesn't give away your personal information. For example, you might use SavvySue instead of DetroitSue.

Fill out the account information for your child, and then click Next.

Click Next if everything is correct. Zune uses your credit card information to verify the parental account.

Fill out the form and click Verify. Nothing is charged to your account.

Now you can configure the following on your child's account:

•	Allow or block purchase of premium content, which affects all purchasing in the Marketplace.
•	Allow or block explicit content, which is content that publishers have marked to indicate explicit material.

Click Next to complete setup for your child’s account.

To change settings later, sign in with your Windows Live ID account and follow the instructions on the screen.

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