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On December 10, 2020, Xbox added a Pause Screen Time control to its existing Family Settings app. It lets a parent block a child from their Xbox account immediately—even if the child still has scheduled playtime left. Xbox describes an account-access pause, not a command that powers off the console.
What Pause Screen Time does
When a parent pauses screen time, the child is blocked from their account and sees the standard “Your screen time is up” message. The block ends when the parent resumes play or when it expires at the end of that day. Once play resumes, the family’s existing game-time rules apply again. Xbox’s December 10, 2020 announcement describes the feature as a way to stop access, not to shut down the console.
To use the control, open the Xbox Family Settings app, select the child’s account, and choose the pause screen-time option. The exact screen layout or label may vary with app updates; Xbox’s announcement confirms the feature but does not give a version-specific navigation path.
How to pause access and let play resume
- Open the Xbox Family Settings app on the parent’s phone and select the child’s account.
- Pause screen time using the pause control for that child. Xbox says this works even when the child has time remaining under the day’s schedule.
- Resume play when appropriate from the app, or let the block expire at the end of the day. The child’s previously configured time limits resume when access is restored.
Other controls in the app
The app is for managing a child’s gaming settings, not just stopping play. Xbox’s 2020 announcements describe daily schedules and time limits, age-based content filters, play and communication controls, activity reports, and tools for managing friend requests and lists. A Minecraft exception could allow Minecraft access and multiplayer under the configured family settings. The preview announcement and the September 2020 launch announcement describe those capabilities.
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The December update also introduced Ask to Buy. When it is enabled, a child’s game purchase request is sent to a parent’s phone; the parent can review information about the game and approve or decline the request. Approved purchases appear in the app. Xbox Wire’s announcement identifies this as a companion feature to Pause Screen Time.
What the app currently supports
Xbox’s current Family Settings app page lists support for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. It also says content and screen-time limits can apply to Windows PCs when the family account is set up as described by Xbox. The page says app settings do not extend to mobile gaming experiences.
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The same page lists tools to review a child’s account balance and spending history, add money, manage friends and online multiplayer, and respond to requests for more console screen time or to add friends. The page currently gives minimum device requirements of iOS 13 or later and Android 8.0 or later; app compatibility requirements can change, so check the Xbox page or the relevant app store listing for current details.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Xbox’s “most requested” claim means
Xbox Wire said on December 10, 2020, “The ability to pause screen time has been our number-one requested feature from parents and caregivers.” The announcement does not provide a respondent count, survey method, or underlying measurement, so this is Xbox’s qualitative description of feedback—not a quantified survey result.
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