Cannot update child account to adult account in Microsoft Family

Matt Chrzczonowicz 20 Reputation points
2026-06-02T09:59:04.8333333+00:00

My son has had a child account, included in our Microsoft Family, and has now turned 16.

His date of birth is recorded correctly but the account has not upgraded automatically.

I, as the managing adult account, cannot amend his age or date of birth or even access or change any aspect of his account. I cannot remove him from the family and re-start the process.

He is unable to update his date of birth (greyed out) or amend it. He also cannot leave the family account.

We are stuck in a loop of inane Microsoft errors.

Please check into the issue and amend his account accordingly to an adult account as per the correct date of birth recorded in his current account, which shows he is aged above 16.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Family and online safety
0 comments No comments

Answer accepted by question author

AI answer

2026-06-02T09:59:18.4733333+00:00

A Microsoft child account cannot be manually converted to an adult account, even by the family organizer, and the date of birth cannot be edited to bypass child protections.

Key points from current behavior and policy:

  1. When the account was created as a child account, its age and status are locked specifically to prevent children from changing their DOB to escape Family Safety restrictions.
  2. Neither the child nor the organizing adult can change the DOB to make the account an adult, and the child cannot remove themselves from the family.
  3. The only way for that account to become an adult account is for it to reach the age of majority defined for the country/region on the account. Until then, it remains a child account, even if it is 16.
  4. While the account is still classified as a child, privacy/online safety and other restrictions must be managed by the adult account via the Family Safety pages (for example, at https://family.microsoft.com and related settings pages referenced in the context).

For now, any needed changes (privacy, online safety, screen time, etc.) must be made from the organizing adult account. The child account itself cannot be upgraded to adult or removed from the family until it reaches the statutory adult age for that region.


References:

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.

1 additional answer

Sort by: Newest
  1. Matt Chrzczonowicz 20 Reputation points
    2026-06-02T10:04:51.6866667+00:00

    Australian 'age of majority' is 18, not 16.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments No comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.