Windows 8 guide: How to set up Parental Controls

Windows 8 has several tools for keeping children safe and stopping them from using programs they shouldn't. They are all found in one place, Family Safety.

In order for this to work you must have created a separate user account for the children and created a password for your account and any other administrator accounts.

Read more: Windows 8 video guides

From the Start screen, type family safety and then click on Settings. Click on Family safety in the main part of the screen. The Desktop will appear with the Family Safety window. Select the user whose account you want to protect to see a summary of their Family Safety settings.

Click on enforce current settings. A summary of the settings is shown on the right hand side of the window and the links for the settings in the middle. We'll be working through them from the top down. Leave Activity Reporting selected as well. We'll take a look at that after all the options have been set up.

Click on Web filtering and then select the second option. Windows has several filtering levels already set up that can be customised for specific websites.

Click on Set web filtering level and then choose a web restriction level for that user. With that set we can allow or block individual websites, click on Allow or block websites on the left.

As an example we want to tell Windows to always allow Club Penguin. Enter the address in the top text box and then click on Allow.

Blocking a website is exactly the same except you click on Block as we'll do here with Facebook.

Removing a website from either list is simple. Click on it once and then click on Remove.

Click on User Settings on the left.

Now we're going to set some time limits. Click on Time limits. You can set both a time allowance and curfews. Click on Set time allowance and then the bottom option. Set a time limit for weekdays and weekends.

Click on Curfew on the left. Select the bottom option and then click and drag in the table to set time when this user shouldn't be using the computer. Clicking toggles between allowed and blocked. Click on User Settings when you are happy with these settings.

Now click on Windows Store and game restrictions. Click on the second option sot this user can only use games and Windows Store apps I allow and then set game and Windows Store ratings. Select an appropriate setting and then click on Allow or Block games. Games installed on the computer will appear here and you can adjust whether or not this user can play them. Click on User Settings on the left.

Finally you can opt to restrict specific Apps on the computer. Click on App restrictions and then the second option down to display a list of Apps on the computer.

By default none of the Apps on the computer are selected, only those essential to Windows will be enabled. Scroll through the list and select apps that you are happy for this user to run.

If it's only a couple of Apps that you want restricted, it is far easier to click on the check all button and then deselect the forbidden Apps.

Click on User Settings when you're done. Review the summary and return to make any changes if you feel the need.

Let's take a very quick look at these restrictions in action. Richard logs in and tries to access Facebook. Notice the message that shows that some content on the first page has already been blocked.

A message appears to say that the page has been blocked. If you're happy to give permission for that user to view the web site, click on the Ask for permission button and then My parent is here. Enter your password and click on Yes to allow the site. Click on Allow to confirm.