Keep kids safe with Vista's Parental Controls

Choose your game
Further down this screen are the main control options which include Windows Vista Web Filter to control internet access and usage (see Protect kids online to find out how to manage web access using these controls).

The next option, Time Limits, can be used to define when the computer is available and when it is locked down. Select this choice to display a simple calendar with a 24-hour clock for each day. To block computer use at certain times on certain days, drag the mouse over the hours when use is not permitted.

The next control, Games, allows parents to block the playing of games by various criteria. Selecting this brings up a set of options including blocking games completely or blocking games according to their content and rating ­ like movies, games are rated for suitability by age.

There is also a second rating system that defines games by the type of material they include ­ it’s called Pan European Game Information, shortened to PEGI. The PEGI system looks likely to relace the cinema-style ratings provided by the British Board of Film Classification.

The final control, ‘Allow and block specific programs’, lets parents see every application loaded on the PC and select which are allowed or prohibited.

You can repeat the process for additional children and it’s easy to modify the controls by clicking the child’s account in Parental Controls. If you have selected the option to see reports of the child’s PC activity, Vista will prompt you when they are available.

Protect kids online
Clicking on the Windows Vista Web Filter option offers a detailed set of controls to manage children’s web surfing.

The first option is to manually add websites that are specifically allowed, or to be blocked. Clicking on the link ‘Edit the allow and block list’ opens a screen where web addresses can be typed and then allowed or blocked at the press of a button.

Although time consuming, this method can provide parents with the maximum amount of control and is advisable for younger children experiencing their first taste of the internet. It is also possible here to limit surfing so that only sites explicitly on the allowed list will be available.

A less controlled but faster option is to select one of the pre-prepared restriction levels. The High Level blocks all content except sites specifically approved for children.

The Medium Level blocks content that is not officially rated, in addition to unsafe material including pornography and pages about drugs and weapons. It is also possible to set a Custom Level that allows parents to block some potentially offensive content types, while allowing others.

Checking the final option on this screen allows parents to block all downloads, which is a great way to stop kids downloading files that may be infected with malicious software.