Microsoft, Google offering new ways to limit kids’ screen time

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Limiting the amount of time we spend glued to our electronic devices can be hard for adults. But it’s especially tough for kids, who use them for school, fun, and everything in between.

But as Consumer Reports is reporting, the same companies that create these addictive devices are offering new ways to limit screen time, giving parents more control.

Microsoft Family Safety is built into Windows and also is available as an app for Xbox, Android, and iOS. Apple’s parental controls for iOS and Mac are located under “Screen Time” settings. Both allow setting screen time limits and setting content restrictions on children’s devices.

There’s also the Google Family Link app, which is available for Android and iOS. With Google Family Link and a Google account set up by parents for kids, parents can monitor their children’s app usage and see where they are.

The tools from Microsoft, Apple, and Google also allow parents to place restrictions on the apps to which their kids have access.

YouTube allows the ability to set up a “supervised experience” for children under 13 that determines the types of videos they can watch. A safer option for younger audiences is YouTube Kids.

Consumer Reports also stresses the importance for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of being online and encourage them to talk about anything disturbing they come across, whether it’s bullying in a video game chat or inappropriate content.

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