Parental Controls on Windows devices
More and more families have electronic devices in their homes. Most students either need a tablet or computer for school these days as well. Devices are becoming more and more of a necessity in our daily lives. This then opens the platform for internet access and web browsing. So as a parent how do you try to stay in control with technology on devices you aren’t necessarily using yourself?
Well, luckily the big manufacturers are also thinking about this and have built in “Parental Controls” to enable better control and filtering of web content.
If you have a Windows device, to setup the ‘Parental Controls’ you need to do the following steps:
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left click on the ‘Start’ icon, then the ‘Settings’ icon (looks like a cog, then click on ‘Accounts’
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then select ‘Family & other users’ – this will open up a side menu.
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Click on ‘Add a family member’ and select the appropriate account type you want to add
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You will be prompted to set up an account for your child, if they don’t have an email then you can create an Outlook one for them. Nominate your mobile number for account security. Deselect the auto ticked boxes and create account.
Make sure you record the account details or save to your password manager software, if you have one.
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Now your child has their own Microsoft account and should use that when logging into any devices.
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You can go through and modify their account settings to restrict websites, and set up times they can access the internet under their account and more.
Windows also have a tutorial video you can watch to assist with this feature, it is posted on the ‘Family options’ window, right hand side. You can also use this screen to review your privacy and security options.
You can also check on the health of your family devices under this same window, so you gain some control as a parent over devices in the home.
Don’t be afraid to look through your settings on your computer, there are lots of features you may be unaware of. Rule of thumb is “don’t be afraid to look, but don’t change anything if you don’t know what it does”