Setting up MS laptop for child

ChilliBob

Hey everyone, 

I've got my son his first Microsoft laptop, and I think I've got it basically setup but I wanted to ask the more tech focused parents on here what I have missed. 

For context, I used to be pretty tech savvy in a home and corporate setting, having had a stint as an IT admib etc - but that was a good decade ago, and things move on!

My son is 8, and will be using the laptop for Google Classroom, browser for research and YouTube for watching sfuff.

At the moment I have:
1. Signed in as me, with my MS account
2. Setup an MS account for my son, with his DOB entered
3. Setup chrome with a school and home profile and made shortcuts for it
4. Installed the family app on my phone
5. Tried to buy something from the MS store myself, as my son, and yes, it didn't just go through!
6. Downloaded office from the ms store (I have family 365).

It seems that defender is enabled and setup by default, along with windows firewall. This feels enough for now. 

I guess my concerns are whether anything happening on his login could impact my data under my login - some kind of virus or malware for example. Ideally I'd have gone oldskool and setup an pair of local accounts - admin and restricted used, however, that feels a bit arcane now and not the future!

Any tips or advise much appreciated! 

Grey_Critic

***It seems that defender is enabled and setup by default, along with windows firewall. This feels enough for now. ***

Ensure that any Bloatware is disabled/removed.  Free Trials of MacAfee and such. You cannot run two anti virus programmes. 

ChilliBob

Grey_Critic said:

***It seems that defender is enabled and setup by default, along with windows firewall. This feels enough for now. ***

Ensure that any Bloatware is disabled/removed.  Free Trials of MacAfee and such. You cannot run two anti virus programmes. 

It's a reconditioned Dell, I was expecting a bit, luckily none. I actually used to have a batch file I'd written back in the day to wipe all that sfuff from Dell machines before making them domain ready. Not sure I could write a batch file now mind lol

Vitor

- Installed the family app on my phone - 

I assume you've setup all the Microsoft Family controls? However do be most effective I'd setup Edge on the laptop rather than Chrome as Edge is fully integrated with Microsoft's controls.

How to set up Microsoft Family Features and Parental Controls in Windows 10 | ITProTV

I'd also setup the machine with a filtering DNS 1.1.1.1 — The free app that makes your Internet faster.#

- Ideally I'd have gone oldskool and setup an pair of local accounts - admin and restricted used, however, that feels a bit arcane now and not the future! -

The child's login must have only User rights. With Admin rights everything else is pointless.

ChilliBob

Yeah I've had a tinker with the family controls. On the face of it they're not that good - or as intuitive - as the Google Family Link (which I hsve on his tablet).

On Family Link for example, I can add any school related apps, like Times Tables Rockstars, to aist which doesn't count towards the daily limit I set. It doesn't seem obvious how to do that on MS, but I've only tinkered for 10-20 mins. 

I know edge probably would be the right choice, and I'm sure it's fine. I come from the generation when it was Firefox and Chrome, and IE was left for dust!

I hadn't come across the DNS thing you mentioned before, it's interesting, I'll certainly give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion. 

TheNorthStar

Vitor said:

- Installed the family app on my phone - 

I assume you've setup all the Microsoft Family controls? However do be most effective I'd setup Edge on the laptop rather than Chrome as Edge is fully integrated with Microsoft's controls.

How to set up Microsoft Family Features and Parental Controls in Windows 10 | ITProTV

I'd also setup the machine with a filtering DNS 1.1.1.1 — The free app that makes your Internet faster.#

- Ideally I'd have gone oldskool and setup an pair of local accounts - admin and restricted used, however, that feels a bit arcane now and not the future! -

The child's login must have only User rights. With Admin rights everything else is pointless.

I highly recommend using a DNS service. I haven’t used the one from Cloudflare, but we’ve used OpenDNS by Cisco, which works on the same principle. If you have a static IP address at your property, you can tailor the results and monitor when items on the blacklist are triggered. It’s also free to use.

ChilliBob

Thanks, yeah I'm keen to try that - felt like stepping back in time when I tinkered earlier today. It's a dynamic IP we have.

Thanks for the link for the MS Family stuff @Vitor