Just in case you are not a faithful reader of Darktips ( kidding ), I previously covered how you can set up parental control on an iPhone or iPad.
In fact, the Parental Control feature exists since the days of Windows Vista. This valuable tool allows you to control what your children can do on the computer.
What can be done with Parental Control, you ask?
There are basically four ways you can set restrictions in Windows 8:- You can control which websites your children can access online.
- You can set the number of hours he can spend per day or even specify the time range, he is allowed to use the computer.
- Prevent them from playing games.
- Control which application they can use on the computer.
Set up Parental Control in Windows 8
The key to using parental control in Windows 8 is to properly configure multiple accounts on your PC. You, as a parent you should have access to an administrator-level account. You need to set up a standard user account for your teenager as only this type of account can have parental controls applied.1.Hover on the ‘minus’ sign at the bottom right corner of the metro screen and select Settings > Change PC settings.
2.Click on the Users section and click on Add a user to create a new user account. You will be asked to enter an email address, if you don’t have one click on “Sign in without a Microsoft account” at the bottom and choose “Local account” on the next screen.
3.You will then be asked to enter a username and password for the new user. Click “Next“ when you are done. On the next screen, make sure you tick the box in order to mark it as a Child’s account and click “Finish“.
4.Once the account is created, head up to “Control Panel“. You can do so by hovering over the ‘minus’ sign in the metro screen(bottom left), click on “Search” and type “Control Panel“.
5.Once it is opened, Click on “Set up Family Safety for any user” and pick up the user account that you would like to impose restrictions. You will then be able to set up how the user account you selected will be able to use the computer. In order to set up parental control, under the label “Family Safety“, choose the first option.
If you wish to get a report of the activities your children, Under “Activity reporting“, turn it on by choosing the first option. You can view the report by clicking on “View activity reports” on the right.
So here’s the minimal you should do in order to keep an eye on your children’s activity on the computer. You can of course do more advanced configuration like for example if you want to block Facebook or adult websites on your children account. Under the “Windows settings” label, Click on “Web filtering” and you will find a bunch of options that allows you to do it.
You can also set time restrictions as to how many hours your children can spend on the PC. Even better, you can specify a time range when your children can use the computer. This is useful in the case that you don’t want them to touch the computer when you are at work.
Now that you know where to find these options to set up parental control in Windows 8, I’ll leave you on your own to explore the different restrictions that you can impose on your little ones
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