Microsoft Bug Blocks Chrome for Family Safety Users

Since early June 2024, Microsoft's Family Safety feature has caused Google Chrome to crash or fail to open on Windows devices for users with parental controls enabled, particularly impacting families, schools, and students. The issue, confirmed by Google and numerous users, does not affect browsers like Firefox or Opera. Workarounds include disabling the 'Filter Inappropriate Websites' setting—thereby weakening child content protections—or renaming the Chrome executable, though neither is ideal. Both IT administrators and users have reported these fixes, but the bug has persisted for more than two weeks. Microsoft has yet to release a patch or provide a resolution timeline, drawing widespread criticism for potentially favoring its Edge browser. Google and affected users continue to press Microsoft for a lasting solution.