Daughter bypassing family safety limits

Kayester 0 Reputation points
2026-06-09T06:01:48.12+00:00

I have just seen that my daughter has been up all night playing games. She was using Her device is only allowed from 4pm to 9pm. How has she done this? She was using the Wave Browser. She was also able to use AVG browser and Opera browser. I've now blocked these.

But how did she do it? And how do I prevent her from doing this again?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Family and online safety

3 answers

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  1. SD - IA 182.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-06-09T08:00:50.2633333+00:00

    Hi,

    Sometimes this is due to a glitch.

    1. Please make your child go to https://aka.ms/familyverify and follow the on-screen prompts. This verifies the connections.
    2. Ensure your child account is set to standard instead of Administrator by going to in Settings > Accounts > Family and other users, from your account.

    I hope this information helps. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

    Otherwise, if your problem is resolved, please take a moment to rate the answer. Wishing you good luck!

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  2. Kayester 0 Reputation points
    2026-06-09T06:13:33.4533333+00:00

    How come the whole device did not lock? Even if she was using those browsers, the device should still lock at the 9pm time limit.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-06-09T06:02:17.5533333+00:00

    Family Safety web and screen limits only apply when the child is using supported browsers and signed in correctly. On Windows, when web and search filters are turned on, Family Safety blocks other commonly used browsers so the child must use Microsoft Edge; if those other browsers are not blocked, a child can install and use them (such as Wave, AVG, Opera) to bypass web limits and potentially access games or sites outside the configured time.

    To prevent this happening again:

    1. Enforce web and search filters
      1. Go to family.microsoft.com and sign in as the organizer.
      2. Select the child > Content filters > Web and search.
      3. Turn on “Block inappropriate websites” / “Filter inappropriate websites”.
      4. Optionally enable “Only allow these websites” if strict control is needed.
      5. Ensure the child uses Microsoft Edge and is signed into Edge with the same Microsoft account; Family Safety will then block other common browsers so they cannot be used to bypass filters.
    2. Block unwanted apps and browsers
      1. In the Family Safety app or at family.microsoft.com, go to the child’s profile > Content filters > Apps and games.
      2. Set an appropriate age limit so new apps and browsers above that rating need approval.
      3. Explicitly block any installed browsers (Wave, AVG, Opera, or others) by selecting them and choosing Block / Never allowed.
    3. Check device and account configuration
      1. Make sure the child’s Windows account is a standard user, not an administrator, so it cannot change Family Safety settings or install software freely.
      2. Verify the child is always signed in with the same Microsoft account that is in the Family Safety group; time limits and filters only apply to that account.
    4. Review activity and limits
      1. Use Family Safety activity reports to see which apps and browsers are being used.
      2. Adjust app/game limits and content filters as needed if new bypass methods appear.

    These steps ensure that only monitored browsers (primarily Microsoft Edge) can be used and that additional browsers cannot be used to circumvent Family Safety limits.

    References:

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

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