Family Screen Time Reporting not working

SG 0 Reputation points
2026-09-04T11:04:28.3+00:00

My son has a Windows Gaming PC. I've set up Family Safety, as outlined and confirmed that he is logging in as described. I know that he is using the PC a LOT, but I'm seeing ZERO activity recorded and reported in Family Safety and the Time Limits that I've set up in the Family Safety App / Online, don't seem to kick in. What can I do?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft Family Safety | For home | Windows
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-04T11:04:46.5033333+00:00

    Try these checks in order on the child’s Windows PC:

    1. Verify the child account on the device.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Accounts.
      • Select Verify and complete the prompts.
      • If Verify is not shown, open Microsoft Edge and complete verification at https://aka.ms/familyverify.
    2. Confirm the child is using a Standard user account, not Administrator.
      • In Windows account settings, change the child account type to Standard user if needed.
      • An administrator account can change or break Family Safety settings.
    3. Check Windows diagnostic data.
      • Open Diagnostics & feedback settings.
      • Make sure diagnostic data is set to Required.
    4. Restart the PC.
      • Select Start > Power > Restart.
    5. Install the latest Windows updates.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Update & security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
      • Install any available updates.
    6. Confirm the child is still in the Family Safety group.
      • Screen time limits only apply to accounts that are part of the family group.
    7. Check whether activity reporting was turned off.
      • At family.microsoft.com or in the Family Safety mobile app, confirm Activity reporting is enabled.
      • Children above the legal child age in their country can opt out. If it was turned off by the child, consent must be regained before it can be turned back on.
    8. Remove and re-add the screen time limits.
      • If limits are present but not applying, delete them and create them again. This can clear glitches.
    9. If the report looks wrong even when limits apply, check time zone behavior.
      • Screen time limits are enforced based on sign-in time, including idle time.
      • Idle time may not appear in the usage report.
      • If the Microsoft account time zone is wrong, activity can appear under a different day.
    10. If the child is signed in for long periods, have them sign out when finished.
    • Screen time counts down while signed in, even if they are idle or a game is paused.

    If sign-in or account verification still fails, use the Sign-in helper or Contact Microsoft Support from the support page.

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

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  2. Nathan R 915 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-04T11:56:04.5466667+00:00

    Hey there, SG

    When reading the question, it sounds as though your son may be using a different account for gaming. To check this, please can you go to their PC click onto Start > Settings

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    Once the settings app has opened. Please click onto "Accounts" from the left-hand navigation menu

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    This will open their account setting. On this page, you can see what account they are signed in with and the account role. Please check this is the account that has been added to the Microsoft family safety group. I would also make sure it is not an administrator account, because this allows them to create other accounts on their PC/Laptop.

    On this page, please scroll down to "Other users" which should be under account settings

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    Please make sure they haven't added other accounts (Microsoft accounts or local accounts) that can use the computer. If they have, please click onto the down arrow on the right-hand side

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    Then click onto remove. This should be the last option on the right-hand side.

    If there account is an admin account, please add your account and make it as an administrator. Once you have done this, please sign into your account and go to the same page as before where you can see other users (Start > Settings > Accounts > Other Users). Once here, click onto your child's account and the "Change account type" option to change them to a standard user.

    This will prevent them from creating new local accounts they can use to bypass family restrictions you set up. This also prevents them from uninstalling or disabling Microsoft family on their laptop too, which could be another reason why nothing is showing on your activity page.

    Hope this helps,
    Nathan

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