Not able to lock my kids's windows device and his screen time is reported as 0 minutes.

Meenu Mehthaj 0 Reputation points
2026-09-26T21:20:59.2466667+00:00

Settings in my and my kid's app looks all fine. I have already attempted to remove and readd device. Window update is upto dateUser's image

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft Family Safety | For home | Windows
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  1. Kai-H 28,235 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-27T08:44:24.4866667+00:00

    Hi, Meenu Mehthaj

    The screenshot shows activity reporting turned on and two connected devices, but no screen time recorded. Since Lock device also does nothing, I’d focus on refreshing Family Safety on the child’s PC rather than repeating the account and device setup checks.

    Here are some suggestions you can try:

    On the child’s PC, press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter. Run the command below, then restart the PC. This refreshes the Family Safety settings on that device.

    schtasks /run /tn "Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FamilySafetyRefreshTask"

    Check the PC’s date and time zone under Settings > Time & language > Date & time. Also check the time zone on the child’s Microsoft account. An incorrect time zone can put usage on a different day in the report, although it would not by itself explain why Lock device fails.

    After the restart, have the child use the PC briefly, then check screen time and try Lock device again from the Family Safety website. If both still fail, contact Microsoft Support and mention that activity reporting is on, the device is connected, and the refresh task made no difference. That gives support a clearer starting point than another device re-add.

    Please be advised that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, are not allowed to directly interfere with Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited solely to providing technical guidance on reported incidents, requests, or ideas.   

    Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-26T21:21:22.86+00:00

    Try these checks in this order:

    1. On the child’s PC, confirm the child account is still a Standard user.
      • Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other people.
      • Family Safety may not work properly if the child account is set as an administrator.
    2. Verify the child’s Microsoft account on the device.
      • Sign in to the child’s Windows profile.
      • Go to Start > Settings > Accounts and select Verify if it appears.
      • If Verify is not shown, open Microsoft Edge and use the Family verification page: https://aka.ms/familyverify
      • This is a common fix when Family Safety is not connecting correctly and screen time stays at 0.
    3. Make sure the device is actually connected to the child’s family profile.
      • On Windows, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other people.
      • Under Your family, select the child and choose Allow if prompted.
      • The device must appear in the child’s connected devices before screen time limits can apply.
    4. Check whether activity reporting was opted out.
      • If the child is 13 or older in the United States, they can opt out of sharing usage data.
      • Review activity reporting in Family Safety. If it was turned off by the child, consent must be regained before it can be turned back on.
    5. Remove and re-add the screen time limits.
      • Since removing and re-adding the device was already tried, remove the screen time limits themselves and then add them back.
      • This is a documented troubleshooting step for limits and blocks not working.
    6. Restart the sign-in session.
      • Sign out of the child account, restart the PC, then sign back in with the child account.
      • Screen time is enforced based on when the child is signed in.
    7. If the device still shows 0 minutes, check the Parental Controls service.
      • Open Services.
      • Find Parental Controls.
      • Make sure it is not disabled. If needed, set it to Automatic or Delayed Start, then start the service.
      • This has been reported to resolve cases where web activity works but screen time does not.
    8. If reporting still does not resume, send logs from the Family Safety app.
      • In the app, go to Home > Help & Feedback > Send logs.

    Useful behavior to keep in mind:

    • Screen time only works on devices connected to the family group.
    • On Xbox, time counts while signed in even if idle. On Windows, limits are enforced based on sign-in time, while usage reports may not exactly match idle time.

    References:

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

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