Check Up on Kids Using the Computer
For most children, using a computer is a normal part of their day-to-day activities. Kids use computers for everything: as a source of entertainment, a means of communicating with friends and a way of researching homework. The Internet is a valuable tool, but it is also an uncensored one. You can check up on your child's online activity and monitor their computer use with the help of parental controls. These allow you to restrict access to potentially dangerous sites, set time limitations and review browsing history.
Instructions
Windows OS Parental Controls
1. Click the "Start" button in the lower left-hand corner of your screen, then choose "Control Panel".
2. Locate the "User Accounts and Family Safety" header. Add your child as a new user account by clicking the "Add or Remove User Accounts" link and follow the on-screen instructions. If your child already has an account on your computer, click "Set Up Parental Controls For Any User". Click the name of the child whose account you wish to apply the controls. You will need to be logged in as the computer administrator to adjust parental controls.
3. Click the radio button to turn parental controls on. Click on time limits, game ratings and program limits to adjust these settings to your own specifications.
4. Check to see if Windows Live Family Safety is installed on your computer by going to "Start", then clicking "All Programs" and then "Windows Live". Visit the Windows Live Family Safety website to download and install the program if you do not see it in your list of programs.
5. Open the Windows Live Family Safety Center and log in by entering your Windows Live ID and clicking "Sign In". Select the Windows account of the children you wish to monitor. Verify the accounts you have chosen and click next.
6. Click the "Activity Reporting" link and verify that it is turned on. Sign in to the Family Safety website at "fss.live.com" and click "View Activity Report" to view a detailed report of websites that your child has visited or attempted to visit.
Mac OS Parental Controls
7. From your home screen, click on "System Preferences", then choose "Accounts".
8. Click on the name of the account you wish to change or add a new user account by clicking the plus sign near the bottom of the screen. Fill in the child's full name, desired account name and a password, then click "Create Account". Click the name of the new account user to access the child's account settings.
9. Click the check box next to "Enable Parental Controls". Click the "Open Parental Controls" button to restrict websites your child can visit, limit chat and email capabilities and set time limits.
10. Click the "Logs" tab to view a detailed log of websites visited, applications used and chat logs.
Tags: Family Safety, Windows Live, your child, Click name, Live Family