Although video games are a great source of entertainment, their excess can also create problems. While adults can stay in control, children often get addicted and lose interest in studies or other activities. This happens because the immersive nature of games keeps children engaged for long hours, making it hard for them to take breaks. Hence, parents must stay active and control their kids' gaming habits.
Since the Xbox series comes with parental control settings, parents can manage and limit their kids’ access to video games. To learn how it works and limit Xbox time, read this guide, which covers everything in detailed steps. It even unveils a tool that helps manage kids' screen time on all apps, not just games.
Table of Content
Part 1. Why Limiting Kids' Xbox Screen Time Is Important?
As we discussed above, proper screen time management helps children develop better skills and protect their mental health. Parents should pay special attention to the Xbox time restrictions for the following reasons:
- Encourages Physical Activity: Due to time limits, children are more likely to engage in physical activities. As a result, it enhances their health, reduces behavioral issues, and fosters brain development.
- Better Sleep Patterns: These restrictions also ensure kids don’t stay up late gaming. Consequently, they help them maintain a consistent and healthy sleep schedule.
- Strengthens Family Bonds: Limited gaming time creates opportunities for family interactions. Thus, kids can form stronger connections and spend quality time with loved ones.
- Prevents Gaming Addiction: Regularly checking the screen time helps identify overuse early. As a result, it prevents dependency and ensures a healthy gaming relationship.
- Improves Academic Performance: You can encourage kids to dedicate more time to their studies by limiting their screen time. Hence, it improves their focus at school for better grades.
Part 2. How to Set a Time Limit on Xbox One or 360?
As discussed, setting limits on gaming time is important for your kids’ balanced routine. That’s why parents should set screen time on Xbox to encourage healthier habits. Plus, you can establish daily or weekly limits and ensure kids allocate time for studies and outdoor activities. Thus, follow the steps below to enable the time feature on Xbox:
Step 1. After installing the Microsoft Family Safety app, access its main display by logging in through your email account. Upon seeing the main screen, tap the Add a Family Member button. Next, add your child's account and choose the Family Member option. Then, hit the Next button, enter your kid’s account password on this device, and press the Next button to finish the setup process.
Step 2. When your child’s profile is added, tap their Name from the app’s main display. Upon accessing their settings page, press the Xbox’s Manage option under the Screentime section.
Step 3. Following this, you need to enable the Time Limits toggle. At this point, tap the specific day if you want to set a different time limit for that day. When you set it accordingly using the slider, press the Save button and then choose the Turn On Activity Reporting option. On the next screen, turn on the Xbox toggle and access the activity reporting feature.
Part 3. How to Check Screen Time for Xbox?
After setting time limits, monitoring usage is equally important to ensure children follow the established guidelines. By reviewing this data, parents can assess whether the restrictions are effective or need additional measures.
This proactive approach encourages children to balance entertainment with other responsibilities. Go through the instructions below to understand how to check Xbox screen time:
Instructions: To check the screen time of your added kid, open their profile within the app. After that, under the Screentime section, tap Manage for Xbox. Then, you will be able to see your child's screen time day by day.
Part 4. How to Fix Xbox Screen Time Issue?
When you encounter issues with the screen time settings not working properly, you can temporarily turn off the feature. This can help reset the controls and fix any glitches that prevent them from functioning as intended. Along with that, you can re-enable the feature and adjust the settings as needed. Hence, let's dive below to learn how to turn off Xbox screen time:
Instructions: To disable this feature, navigate to your child’s profile settings in the Microsoft Family Safety app. Then, tap the Manage option for Xbox under the Screentime section. When accessed, turn off the Time Limits toggle to disable this feature. Alternatively, if you want to turn off screen time for a specific day, tap the day and press the Remove Time Limits button.
Part 5. Parental Control Solution to Xbox Screen Time Organizer
From the guides above, you can see how you can manage and control your kids’ screen time in the console’s controller app. However, it also highlights the drawback of only managing Xbox screen time and not on other apps. Hence, users need to find alternatives that can help them manage screen time on multiple devices and apps. For this purpose, we recommend FamiSafe since it has extensive features that work on various devices.
The app’s Screentime feature is especially helpful for parents as it lets them restrict the screen usage of their kids. Moreover, parents can set a fixed schedule after which kids won’t be able to access their phones by using this feature. The feature also allows you to set up a downtime schedule for selected applications. When the allocated time exceeds, the selected applications will be automatically blocked.
- Screen Viewer: Receive periodic screenshots of their kids’ screens.
- App Rules: Block unrequired applications on your children’s devices.
- Activity Report: Gives detailed statistics about your kid's daily mobile usage habits.
- Content Detection: Monitors up to 14 social media apps and informs parents when children engage with explicit content.
- Web Filter: Block or unblock certain unwanted websites on kids’ devices.
From the above features, it is evident that FamiSafe is better than Microsoft's monitoring platform. However, to prove this point further, you can go through the following detailed comparison table.
Feature | FamiSafe | Microsoft Family Safety |
Best For | Comprehensive parental controls across kids’ devices. | Managing gaming and other activities specific to the Microsoft ecosystem. |
Platforms | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Fire OS, Chromebook. | Xbox One, Xbox Series S and X, Windows, Android, iOS. |
Key Features | Screen Time Screen Viewer App Rules Activity Report Toxic Content Detect Web Filter Real-Time Location |
Spending Control Screen Time Requests Activity Summaries Apps and Game Content Filters Weekly email summaries |
Easy to Use | User-friendly interface is easy to use. | The setup process is a bit complex. |
Limitations | Free 3-day trial only. | Does not support social media monitoring. Parents only receive basic activity summaries. |
Conclusion
To conclude, managing screen time is important for maintaining healthier habits and ensuring a balanced routine for children. Plus, effective Xbox time restrictions help promote physical activities and encourage family connections. However, parental controls on the console are limited to managing only gaming hours and leaving other applications unchecked.
For a more comprehensive solution, you need a tool that offers more dedicated features and ensures your kid’s safety. This is where the FamiSafe application stands out as the best option for all parent’s needs. Apart from its screen time monitoring, it lets you do content monitoring and web filtering as well for your child’s safety. So, you must download and try the FamiSafe app today to enforce healthy habits.