4 tips for keeping safe online

1.  Create a safe space for your kids to explore online.
When children are online, there’s an entire world at their fingertips. Sometimes, there’s content that may be intended for adults or for older kids. Using web and search filters help improve their online safety and ensure that mature content doesn’t appear when they’re browsing with Microsoft Edge. If they end up in the Microsoft Store (while using Xbox, for example), you can set it up so that they need your permission before they buy anything.

2.  Help your children get a good balance of screen time. 
Part of keeping kids safe online includes managing how long they have to explore the web each day. You can set time limits, and when time’s up, you can easily give them more time or say, “That’s enough for today.” 

• Set device limits. If your kids use a Windows 11 PC or an Xbox One, you can limit the amount of time they spend on each device. Knowing that online learning uses a lot of their screen time, you might prefer to set limits for certain apps or games only.  
• Set app and game limits. If you’d prefer to set a time limit on a specific game, or on watching movies through Netflix or Hulu, you can do that, too. The time limit works across Windows 11, Xbox One, and Android devices.

3.  Go over activity reports together.
Sit down with your kids and view their weekly online activity reports with them. See if you notice any interesting trends—such as what time of day they like to play games or surf the web—and talk about any adjustments you may need to make. 

4. Helps keeping kids safe online while they game.
Gaming can be both fun and healthy for your children. If you want to make sure they aren’t playing something intended for older kids, set up content filters for Windows 11 and Xbox One that don’t allow games rated above the age you choose. If you need any ideas for your child’s next game, take a look at these family favorites.

There are also a lot of settings you can customize on Xbox One, such as who your kids are allowed to play online games with and who they’re allowed to chat with.

All of these online safety features are conveniently located in the Microsoft Family Safety app. Download it today on iOS or Android.