Microsoft Family - Child can remove themselves from the family

Anonymous
2020-01-05T10:56:06+00:00

I have setup Microsoft Family with my children added as child accounts.

My children can login to their accounts at family.microsoft.com and simply click the link "Leave family group" and they are removed from the group and from any screen time limits etc.

This seems like a serious issue as it negates the point of setting any restrictions if it is this easy to circumvent them.

Please advise if there are additional settings required to prevent children from removing themselves from the family group.

I've checked the DOB for each child and that is correct.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Family and online safety

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-02-08T21:15:57+00:00

    Just received the following email from Microsoft that due to privacy laws, my soon to be 13 year old son is now old enough to make his own decisions online and it’s basically none of our business. It appears this is due to COPPA, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which only protects children under 13 because they are particularly vulnerable to marketers and unaware of privacy and safety issues. COPPA is meant to give parents control of online collection of info of kids under 13. Still, don’t see why Microsoft wouldn’t allow account users to maintain settings and restrictions of content for teens under family group. Other apps and software allow parental controls and monitoring.

    Activity reporting
    They can turn off your ability to see their activity on Windows 10 and Xbox One devices, or Android devices running Microsoft Launcher.
    <br> ---
    Device health
    They can turn off your ability to see their device and check on updates, hard drive usage, or safety settings like firewall and anti-virus protection.
    <br> ---
    Find your child
    They can stop sharing their location through their Windows 10 phone or Android device running Microsoft Launcher.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-01-17T03:13:28+00:00

    So, so, so disappointing Microsoft.  What a joke that it is so easy for 13 year-old to opt out of this.

    Shame on you.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-01-17T03:12:21+00:00

    Surprise!  Just ran into this same issue with my 13 year-old son.  What a creepy, dirty, underhand tactic Microsoft.  I am surprised and disappointed.  "We have parental controls"... except really they are not when you make that easy for a 13 year old to "leave group"  What a pain.  Need to take away Xbox.

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  4. Anonymous
    2021-01-07T21:31:18+00:00

    Man I totally agree with you.  This is not protection at all.  My teen son just said, "Dad it's like they have 7 locks on the front door but the back door is wide open."

    Exactly.

    The 13yo restriction isn't up to Microsoft to decide.  Default should be 18 and a parent can change it if they want.  You (Microsoft) build the great tools and let the parents decide what "adult" and "privacy" means in their house.

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  5. Anonymous
    2021-01-06T16:20:41+00:00

    This is now exactly one year since the thread was created and there isn't a fix to this problem? As a parent of three boys ages 16, 13 and 11 we need to have a solid way of monitoring screen time. Although it is an issue of integrity, our 16 year old has removed his name from the family account and his defiance is forcing me to look elsewhere for a better system to hold these kids accountable. A 16 year old should not be able to remove themselves from the family account! I really hope that you "Microsoft" are hearing the voices of concerned parents during this incredibly challenging time with kids sitting in front of screens all day long unmonitored! Not healthy, not full-proof and definitely NOT COOL!

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