Microsoft gets serious about child-friendly tech, adds parental controls

In a move to make technology more child-friendly, Microsoft (MSFT) has now come up with a slew of announcements including parental controls, a kids news site and an update to the Microsoft Launcher app. The move follows similar measures taken by rivals including Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOGL).

The latest update to Microsoft Launcher for Android helps parents figure out the whereabouts of their kids, the apps they use and the amount of time spent on each one. A new update is in the pipeline for Microsoft Edge for Android to block or allow websites on children’s Android devices. It allows parents to approve or block sites on the Android device from the PC.

Separately, in a move to improve current affairs awareness and general knowledge among the kids, the company has previewed MSN Kids website. Here, the users can watch ad-free and child-friendly news and features from Microsoft’s partners like National Geographic, Popular Science, Time for Kids, USA Today, and Sports Illustrated for Kids.

In addition, Microsoft has teamed with Apple to make technology and video games more accessible to the differently abled, including the integration of braille displays into computers and development of Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Earlier this month, Microsoft had unveiled a new family notebook, OneNote, which lets the family stay organized and synchronized in everything ranging from their shopping lists to vacation planning. Also, a new feature called ‘Ask a parent’ lets parents to keep a tab at the online purchases made by the kids, so that there are no surprises in the credit card bills.