It’s School Holidays! You’re at work. The teens are at home. Is it possible that while the cat’s away the mice will play? If there are no boundaries even the best of us will wiggle our toes outside the limits. How do you then build trust with your teen and monitor and limit their screen time while you are not there?
In Windows 7 you can set limits on your child’s computer use—and help them be safer online—without constantly peeking over their shoulders. These Parental Controls can help you limit how much computer time children have, as well as which programs and games they can use and you can limit when these programs and games are available. With the Parental Controls in Windows Media Center, you can also block access to inappropriate TV shows and movies.
To help keep your children safer online, download Windows Live Family Safety. This free program helps you manage which websites your children see and who they can talk to online. It also provides helpful, easy-to-read reports of their online activity.
One user commented: ‘I found Parental Controls remarkably easy to configure. By setting up separate user accounts, I was able to tweak the Parental Controls settings for each of my daughters. For my 13-year-old, I restricted access to instant messaging programs. For my 15-year-old, I allowed access to games with ratings up through “Teen.” ….I (also) blocked out the hours when they couldn’t use the computer.’
Turning on Parental Controls in Windows is a good way to grow an extra pair of eyes in the back of your head.
