The operating system sends a weekly note that includes a list of websites children have visited, how many hours per day they have spent on the computer, and for how long they have used their favourite apps, according to reports.

The feature appears to be turned on by default for family accounts — not notifying either children or their parents that they are being spied on — and was reported by parents who hadn’t asked for and weren’t aware of activating the feature themselves.

Some worried that the feature could accidentally out young LGBT people, by sending details of their web browsing to their parents. That could then in turn put them at risk of abuse by their parents, or danger, Twitter users have warned.