Xbox LIVE and Zune online safety and privacy

You can change the online safety and privacy settings for any profile on your console. Here’s how:

1. Go to the My Account page.
2. At the upper-right corner of the page, click Sign In to sign in to your Xbox LIVE account.
3. Under Settings and Preferences, click Privacy and Online Settings.
4. Change the settings to whatever you’d like.

1. Go to the My Account page.
2. At the upper-right corner of the page, click Sign In, and sign in with the Microsoft account of the child whose settings you want to change.
3. Under Settings and Privacy, click Child.

   Note You will be prompted for the parental Microsoft account in order to make changes to the child account’s safety settings.

4. Change the settings to whatever you’d like.

Disable Internet browsing on Xbox for a child account
For information about how to disable access to Internet Explorer on your Xbox 360 console, see the Restrict your child’s access to Internet Explorer on Xbox LIVE page.

Default values for online safety and privacy settings are based on the birthdate you entered when you created your account.

The following table shows the default settings for each age group:

* Minors cannot select “Everyone” when sharing Exercise Info.

Activity settings

The following table describes the Xbox LIVE activity settings that you can control:

Privacy settings

The following table describes the privacy settings that you can set:

Content settings

The following table describes the online content settings you can set. If you want to control which games can be played and what content can be watched, please see Xbox 360 console parental controls.

Opt-in options

The following table describes marketing settings that you can set:

Xbox LIVE determines whether an account is a child account or an adult account based on the age of the account owner. Account owners who are younger than 18 are given child accounts in the United States. The legal adult age varies by country and region (for example, the adult age in Korea is 20).

Child accounts are tied to an adult's Microsoft account. The adult account can control Family Settings and restrict some features of Xbox LIVE.

After you reach the age of adulthood (which varies by country and region), you can promote a child account to an adult account. This promotion removes the Family Settings and Xbox LIVE restrictions.

To promote a child account to an adult account

• Sign in to Xbox LIVE by using the account that you want to change.
• Go to Settings, and then select Account.
• Select Promote Child Account.

  Note The age of an account owner is calculated by using the date of birth provided when the account was created. This date cannot be changed. If you entered an incorrect date of birth when you created the account, your only option is to create a new account using the correct date of birth. This option is available only if the date of birth for the account indicates that you have reached the age of adulthood (18 in the United States). The legal adult age varies by country and region.

• Follow the on-screen instructions to promote the account.

Note If you want to control the console itself - for example, to limit the amount of time the console can be used on a daily basis, or limit the content types that can be viewed on the console - please see Xbox 360 console parental controls. To learn about ESRB Ratings and safe gaming tips, please see GetGameSmart.com.

As a parent, you can ensure that your child will encounter only the content, people, and activities you deem appropriate. You can do this by creating an account for your child, and then you can adjust the family settings to control what your child can access in Zune Marketplace.

Note A parent must create a child account. A child cannot create his or her own account.

When you create a child account, you'll need the following:

• Two email accounts: one for you and one for your child.
• Valid credit card information to prove that you are an adult if your child is 12 years old or younger. No charges are made to your credit card, and your credit card number is not saved. The information is used only to validate that you are of legal age.

To create a Zune Music + Video account for a child

1. Go to Xbox.com and click Sign in in the upper-right corner. (If you're already signed in with your own account, click the menu next to your gamertag, and then click Sign out.)
2. Follow the instructions on the screen to sign up for a new account.
3. Provide your child's information and birth date.
4. Then, provide your own information, which might include a credit card number to verify your identity.
5. Adjust the family settings for your child's account.

After you’ve created your child’s account, you can choose all of the settings that control privacy and access to content. Whenever anyone tries to access these settings for a child’s account, the parent will always be asked to sign in for approval.

To change the Family settings for a child's account

1. In the Zune Music + Video software, click Sign in in the upper-right corner, and sign in to the child’s account. (If you're already signed in with your own account, right-click your Zune Tag and click Switch user.)
2. Go to Settings, Account.
3. On the Summary page, click Family settings.

You'll be prompted to enter your own email address and password, and then you can change the family settings for your child’s account.

You can set the following options to determine how your child accesses content in Zune Marketplace. And, if your child uses the same Microsoft account that is associated with an Xbox LIVE or Games for Windows LIVE account, Zune Music + Video and Xbox LIVE will share these settings.

• Explicit content: Choose to allow or block your child from previewing and purchasing explicit music and videos that are available through Zune Marketplace and Xbox 360. You can also allow or block access to mature games for Windows Phone 7.
• Purchases: Choose whether you want your child to be able to make purchases with Microsoft Points or with the credit card you have on file.

By default, both of these options are blocked when you create an account for a child.

Note You are responsible for any material that an associated Zune Music + Video child account gains or is denied access to as a result of your use of, or failure to use, Family Settings.

Promoting child accounts to full accounts on Zune

• A Zune child account qualifies to be promoted to an adult account when the child reaches the age of 18 or otherwise reaches legal adult age.
• Adult age varies by country. The birthday is based on the date that is provided during the initial account creation process for the child account.
• When the account is promoted, any parental control restrictions that previously existed for the child account are removed.
• If a user of a child account reaches adult age in the given country or region, the Promote Child Account option is available when they sign in to their Zune account the first time after they reach the adult age. After the account has been promoted, this option no long appears.

Changing your Zune privacy settings

1. From the Xbox Dashboard, under Music, select Zune.
2. Under My Collection, select Account Management.

• Select Privacy Settings, then select Enable Music Personalization to allow or disable music personalization. This feature is required to use Smart DJ.

Frequently asked questions about Zune child accounts

Does a child have to promote their account after they reach legal adult age?

No. We do not require account promotion. However, you will continue to be prompted to promote the account until it is promoted. You can’t remove this reminder except by promoting the account.

Does child account promotion require parental consent or sign-in?

No. Parental consent or sign-in is not required for account promotion.

Does the child have to accept Terms of Service?

Yes. The child must accept the Terms of Service (TOS) as part of the promotion process, just as the parent had previously accepted the TOS for the child account as part of the parental consent.