With a smartphone in your pocket, you can access the sum of human knowledge in mere moments. However, you can also access some really sketchy stuff out there that you probably don't want your kids absorbing. Microsoft is offering new tools to parents with an expansion of its family group features on Android. You can now access family controls in the Microsoft Launcher and Edge browser for Android.

In the updated Microsoft Launcher, parents can add their kids to the family group in order to track their location and keep abreast of what apps they're using. This data appears in the feed section of the launcher (see above, left), and parents can turn it off at any time. If your kid is smart enough to change launchers or disable location permissions, you're out of luck.

With Edge for Android, you can now block websites. These settings carry over to the Android version from Edge on the desktop. If your child attempts to visit a blocked site, Edge will tell them to get permission before it loads the site. Again, you'll need to lock down the device to keep kids from swapping in other browsers.

Before you can use the family features in either of these apps, you need to set up a family group account. Microsoft has support articles that cover all that. Family group settings apply to Windows and Xbox in addition to Android.

Source: Microsoft