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Parental Computer Controls

Worrying who your children are talking to online, what websites they are visiting and what games they are playing is a thing of the past thanks to the Parental Controls in Windows 7.

It’s all done through settings in the User Accounts page which is accessed by clicking on the Windows Orb, in the lower left hand corner of the screen, with your mouse and clicking on Control Panel>User Accounts and Family Safety>User Accounts.

Click on “Manage another Account > Create a New Account” and type your child’s name in the box that says “New account name”. Be sure not to change the account type from Standard, as this allows the user to change their settings and override your rules.

You can also set up a password for your child to log in with. Be sure to make it different from the one for your main account otherwise your child will be logging on and modifying the settings. From here you can also change your child’s default account photograph and replace it with a photograph of them.

Next, click on “Set-Up Parental Controls” and click on your child’s account name and picture. Three options appear on the screen which to control how your child will be able use the computer.

Ensure that “Enforce current settings” circle is selected.

Children's timetable

Click on time limits. On the next screen you can set up access times by using your mouse to click squares on the weekly timetable when your child can use the machine. If your child attempts to log on outside of these hours the computer will refuse access to the user account.

Click on Games to control your child’s access to your computer games by rating, content or title. Your child should not be able to add more games to the system without your permission, so remember to come back here and set the rules for any new games.

“Allow and block specific programs” gives you the ability to give your child access to only the programs needed to do their homework.

Filter the web

Two more features, which block unsuitable websites and log all online activity, can be added to the pre-installed Parental Controls by downloading Microsoft’s free Windows Live Essentials 2011 suite at www.download.live.com.

After those features have been downloaded and installed you need to log on using a Windows Live account, such as Hotmail. From the main screen you can create a Live account for your child and turn on the internet filter and browsing history monitor.

Make sure to talk to them first about Parental Controls before you set them up and explain why you are doing it. It’s important to teach responsible computer habits from a young age.

Be Facebook savvy

If they have a Facebook or Bebo page, talk to them about what is appropriate to post online. A surprising amount of minors have pages with content that would make their parents blush and it’s very hard to remove information once it has been posted online.