Microsoft gets Kids Mode to help protect children on shared family PCs

You don't want to keep your kids from accessing information they can learn from, but you want to make sure they can browse safely. Enter the new Kids Mode on Microsoft Edge. The company has rolled out this free option on both Windows and macOS. It's accessible through the Edge profile option. And it's designed to lock kids into the Edge browser where they can only access approved sites (whether that be the 70 kid-friendly sites Microsoft selected or any other websites you added to that list).

When you enable Kids Mode, you'll have the option to choose between five to eight years old or nine to 12 years old. Both age ranges offer the highest level of Edge's tracking prevention and strict Bing SafeSearch, so it keeps out any adult text, images, and videos from search.

Microsoft separated these ages because the older age group has access to curated articles from MSN for Kids. These won't show current news. Instead, it'll focus on science, fun facts, and animals.

Source: Microsoft

Kids have the option to make this browsing experience their own with customizable themes, colours, and new tab background. Microsoft partnered with Disney and Pixar to offer unique themes like Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, and more.

For Windows users, popular keyboard shortcuts are restricted, so the kids can't exit out of this mode. But the same can't be said on macOS, unfortunately. An adult will need to input their Windows or macOS credentials to revert to normal browsing.

Kids Mode doesn't require a Microsoft Account to work, but it won't sync your list of approved websites across devices, so you will need to set this up for each machine you give your child access, too.

Source: The Verge