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Windows 10 users are always ready for random errors and strange issues. Some problems can be quickly resolved by a simple restart, but most are usually very stubborn. One confusing issue that you may experience in Windows 10 today is the “

This device is locked because of your family settings for screen time” message.

This message appears if you have set a screen time limit for your or your kid’s account using Microsoft Family Safety. Although this message should only appear when the screen time limit is reached, it sometimes shows up before that. This causes the computer to lock itself, forcing you to unlock it again to continue working. Fortunately, there are proven ways to get rid of this problem. In today’s tutorial, you will learn how to fix “This device is locked because of your family settings for screen time” in Windows 10.

What Is Screen Time?

Screen time refers to the amount of time you use a certain device. You can limit screen time according to your needs by using your Microsoft Family Safety settings.

The Microsoft Family Safety service allows parents to control what their kids do online and offline. As a parent, you can prevent your kids from visiting certain websites, playing some games, or using specific applications. This helps ensure they responsibly use their devices.

If you find yourself staring at your computer screen longer than you should, Microsoft Family Safety could also help. You can use it to set the exact hours that you should use your device. When this time elapses, the device automatically locks itself, forcing you to go to sleep or do something else.

How to Fix “Windows 10 Family Safety Won’t Let Log In”

If the screen time limit is not working after setting it up, you can resolve the problem by

  • restarting your computer,
  • updating your operating system, or
  • using the System File Checker tool.

However, to remove the message from your computer screen, apply these tactics:

  • Use the “Send a request” option.
  • Click the “My parent is here” button.
  • Use your Microsoft Safety account.

We will walk you through applying all of these fixes.

Fix 1: Restart Your Windows PC

Restarting the computer is among the most underrated ways of resolving Windows 10 problems. To see if it can help your screen time settings to start working, follow these instructions:

  1. Hit the Windows logo key on your keyboard.
  2. Click on the Power icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  3. Select Restart and then wait for your machine to restart completely.
  4. Check if the problem has been eliminated.

Fix 2: Update Windows

Windows updates are vital as they contain fixes to bugs that may trigger serious problems. Installing these updates boosts your computer’s performance and keeps it free from malware.

These steps will guide you through updating Windows:

  1. Press the Win + I combination to bring up the Settings window.
  2. Click on Update & Security.
  3. Then click on the “Check for updates” button on the right side of the screen.
  4. Wait for Windows to automatically download the updates on your machine.
  5. Finally, restart the machine.

Fix 3: Increase the Screen Time Limit

The error message indicates that you can’t continue accessing your device because you’ve hit the screen time limit. Therefore, a simple way to get rid of it is to increase the limit.

You can do so by applying any of these methods:

Using the “Send a Request” Option

When the message in question appears, your kids can click on the “Send a request” button to ask you to allow them more time. When they do, you get an instant email for the request. Inside the email, you will see different time options such as 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours to choose from. Once done, your Microsoft Safety Account will open, indicating that you have allocated more screen time to your child’s account.

If you don’t want the child to continue using the device, just click on the “I don’t want to give more time today” link.

Using the “My Parent Is Here” Option

Like the above option, this one also allows the kids to ask you for more screen time, especially if you are near them.

Here is how it works:

  1. Click “My parent is here” on your child’s PC in the prompt message.
  2. You will be required to sign in to your parent account to prove that you’re really there.
  3. Once done, the “Extend by” drop-down box will appear on the kid’s computer. Click on it and select the amount of time you want to allocate.
  4. Click on the Allow button. The child can now continue using the machine.

Using Your Microsoft Safety Account

You can also increase the screen time limit via your Microsoft Safety account. To do so, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the Microsoft Family Safety homepage and log in to your parent account.
  2. Click on “More options” and choose “Screen time”.
  3. Scroll down the page and expand “Windows 10 devices”.
  4. Click on that day’s limit.
  5. Increase the limit and then click on the Done button.

Fix 4: Create Another Child Account

Sometimes, your child’s account might get corrupted, making it misbehave. To solve the problem, you can create a new child account and then add it to the family account.

Here’s how:

  1. Press the Win + I combination to open the Settings app.
  2. Go to Accounts.
  3. Select “Family & other users” on the left menu pane.
  4. Go to the right pane and select “Add a family member” under the “Your family” section.
  5. Enter your Microsoft password when prompted to.
  6. Type in your child’s email address and then click on the Next button. If your kid doesn’t have a Microsoft account, select “Create one for a child”.
  7. Choose Member and then click on Invite.
  8. Microsoft will send an invitation email to your child’s email address.
  9. Open that email and click on the Accept Invitation button.

Fix 5: Use the System File Checker (SFC) Tool

If the “This device is locked because of your family settings for screen time” message is still appearing when it’s not supposed to, use the SFC tool. This tool enables you to automatically repair corrupted system files that may be causing issues on your Windows 10 machine.

This guide will show you how to use the SFC tool:

  1. Press Win + S to open the Windows search bar.
  2. Type in “cmd” (without quotes) and then right-click on Command Prompt.
  3. Choose the “Run as administrator” option.
  4. Next, select Yes in the UAC (User Account Control) prompt box.
  5. Type “sfc /scannow” (no quotes) into the open CMD window. Then press the Enter key.
  6. Wait for the process to finish.
  7. Restart the PC.
  8. Repeat these steps on your child’s computer.

Bonus Tip: Optimize Your Windows 10 Machine

Windows 10 may misbehave because of corrupted registry keys and the lack of enough storage space. To prevent that, you can use a PC optimizer like Auslogics BoostSpeed to eliminate corrupt, invalid, and empty registry keys from the Windows registry. The tool also lets you clean out junk files, useless apps, and file duplicates from your computer to free up some disk space. That way, your device can run smoothly without crashing or throwing up error messages. You can download BoostSpeed from the Auslogics website and install it on your device and that of your kid.

Conclusion

If the “This device is locked because of your family settings for screen time” message has been bothering you, we hope this article helps you. If you have helpful information regarding

how to get rid of Microsoft screen time issues in Windows 10, kindly drop your comments below.