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Family Safety

Teach your family members how to use the Internet more safely with these guidelines. Learn about family safety settings for Microsoft products.

Compare family safety tools from Microsoft

Compare family safety tools from Microsoft

Microsoft has several tools to help you and your family have safe, secure online experiences.

To compare some of these tools, consult the chart below. For more information about these products, click the column headings to visit their respective websites:

KEY:  = Yes

Windows Live Family Safety 1

Windows 7 Parental Controls

Windows Vista Parental Controls

Xbox and Xbox 360 Family Settings

Zune

Apply Internet filters

2

    

Personalize settings for individual users

Set time limits for computer use

3

  

Get report on Internet activity

2

    

Set limits on types of games children can play

3

  

Block downloads

3

Allow children to request access by using email

 

   

Restrict access to certain software programs

   

Limit who children communicate with online

   

Restrict children from accessing explicit content

1Free download for Windows XP SP2.

2Windows 7 works together with Windows Live Family Safety to deliver this feature.

3Requires Windows 7 or Windows Vista.