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
    2020-07-23T02:12:36+00:00

    Thats not true.  Thats a gross misintepretation between a company being allowed to track a 13 year olds activity and being considered a minor.  Nowhere in the federal level or the individual states does the government consider a 13 year old as an adult.  There’s a big difference between legally allowing companies to track 13 and older, and Microsoft saying we wont let a parent restrict a minors activity.

    This needs to be fixed .

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-07-23T02:14:19+00:00

    Works great until he meets up with a pedophile that will buy his games for him and you cant see/track that since your son is no longer in your family.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-07-24T08:49:45+00:00

    That is precisely what i was told on the phone by Microsoft’s CSR. Doing a little more digging into the FTC Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) you can find the following:

    312.2   Definitions. Child means an individual under the age of 13.

    And to summarize the full context of the COPPA, anyone 13 or older is free to manage their own online presence as though they were an adult. And websites are free to collect personal information, monitor, track, etc any information or activities they please about anyone 13 or older, as though that person were an adult.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-07-25T14:59:06+00:00

    I have the same issue. My 12 year old not only removed himself from the group but changed all his restrictions. My 12 year old is adopted and has a traumatic past and has been exposed to pornography and other internet dangers. I hope you recognize the harm this does to children who are not capable of managing theirselves in such an unsafe environment.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-08-04T14:15:00+00:00

    COPPA does not address or state that 13 or over can be unmanaged.  That is an inappropriate inference by Microsoft.  COPPA is explicitly to address under 13.  That does not mean that 13 and older are completely capable of managing their own content and access.

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