Microsoft announced that it is improving its data collection processes around accounts for children.

The company entered into a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to resolve allegations that its previous account creation process for Xbox Live improperly collected information from children without properly notifying and getting permission from their parents.

As part of the settlement, Microsoft has agreed number of changes to its data collection practices:

• Requiring parents to provide consent before their children can create an Xbox Live account.
• Limiting the amount of personal information that is collected from children.
• Providing parents with more control over how their children’s data is used.
• The ability to create a Child Account

Via Microsoft:

A child Xbox account has privacy settings that protect children. For example, a child Xbox account by default only lets children communicate with friends that you approve; and limits how Microsoft shares the child’s personal information with others.

Xbox family safety settings give you more privacy options to choose from. To review your settings, go to your Privacy Dashboard, then click on the Xbox icon to get to your Privacy and online safety settings.

Now, and in the future, you can see the personal information we collect from children linked to your account. Sign in to your account on your Privacy Dashboard and select your child’s account in the dropdown to review and clear data.

Additionally, you can ask us to delete the account by submitting a request through our account closure form. Please be sure to sign in with your child’s account credentials.

To manage consent for a child, go to your Microsoft family safety dashboard. Sign in to your account, click the three dots next to your child’s name, then “manage consent.”

Xbox.com