Parents know the importance of protecting their children from danger. It’s practically embedded in their DNA. That’s why parents put plug covers on outlets when they have toddlers in the house, keep car keys away from elementary school kids, and maintain a home security system to safeguard their children from burglars at night.
So why is it that so many parents ignore the problems that their kids could face while on the computer?
Believe it or not, navigating parental controls on computers and other electronic devices is pretty easy. Getting into the right screen on a PC takes just a few clicks:
- Start button (lower left hand corner of the screen)
- Control Panel
- Set up parental controls for any user (under User Accounts and Family Safety)
Then set up a password for the parental controls for the user accounts of your children. (Make sure that your kids don’t know it and aren’t able to easily figure it out.) Then click the On selection under the Parental Controls heading.
Now you can configure the computer so it can be used in accordance with your wishes. Here’s how you do that (be sure to always click OK when you finish):
The Time Limits setting brings you to a “calendar” screen of a given week. This lets you designate what hours of which days your child can utilize the computer.
- The Games setting lets you allow or prohibit game playing, and also lets you specify which game ratings are permissible for your kids. You can also block or allow specific games.
- The Allow and Block Specific Programs setting does just that: lets you set certain programs on your computer that can or cannot be accessed by your child.
But what if your kid spends more time on his or her smartphone or tablet computer than a desktop? No problem. You can set parental controls for those devices as well. Here are the steps for the iPhone and iPad:
- Press the Settings Icon
- Select the General option
- Select the Restrictions option
- Press Enable Restrictions
Then you’ll have to create a four-digit passcode. Just like your computer password, make sure your kids won’t be able to figure it out.
After that, just move the digital switches next to the programs that you don’t want them to access (FaceTime, Safari, Installing Apps, Multiplayer Games, etc.). You can also set restrictions on music and podcasts, TV shows, movies, and Apps.
See? Setting “electronic boundaries” is simple and can be done in no time at all. Now as for all the whining and pleading to have those parental controls changed – well, handling all that is up to you.
Contributor: Chris Martin is a freelance writer who writes for numerous websites and is also a ghostwriter for several blogs. In addition, he is an accomplished voice actor and an experienced sportscaster. Martin has also worked as a radio DJ, a traffic reporter, and a public address announcer for sporting events.
