The Internet is a largely unregulated system that contains all types of content, including websites that are not appropriate for children. If you have a computer at home connected to the Internet, you can block certain Internet sites by using free tools built into Windows. These services let you block specific websites, block all file downloads, and in the case of Windows 7, keep a report on your children's Internet activity. It can take a few minutes to setup these controls. Your computer must have a separate login for your children that uses different controls than your login.
Create a Child Account
Step 1
Open the Control Panel in Windows 7 or Windows Vista to create a new computer login exclusively for your child, if you have not already set one up. The Parental Controls and Family Safety services require a unique login username for your children to access the computer.
Step 2
Click the "Add or Remove User Accounts" option.
Step 3
Click "Create a New Account."
Step 4
Type the name for the account and ensure it is set to "Standard User."
Step 5
Click the "Create Account" button.
Windows 7
Step 1
Visit the "Windows Live Family Safety" website by Microsoft, and download the free software for managing Internet sites for your children. Windows 7 does not offer the same Parental Controls as Windows Vista, so this addition to your computer may be necessary.
Step 2
Create a free Windows Live online account, if you do not already have one. The Windows Live Family Safety service is managed online through a live account. In addition to these features, a Live account also includes a Hotmail email address, so you already have access to Windows Live if you use that email service.
Step 3
Login to the Windows Live service. Click on the Family Safety link to setup your configurations for blocking Internet sites and activating content filters. You may also access activity reports on children's Internet behavior from the Live website.
Windows Vista
Step 1
Click the "Start" button on your PC, and then choose the "Control Panel."
Step 2
Click the "Set Up Parental Controls" option under "User Accounts" in the Control Panel.
Step 3
Click on the name of the account that your children use to log on to the computer.
Step 4
Click the "On" command under "Parental Controls" for this account.
Step 5
Select the "Windows Vista Web Filter" option.
Step 6
Click the command labeled "Block some websites or content," followed by the "Edit the Allow and Block List."
Step 7
Type the Web addresses of any Internet sites you wish to block from your children, then click the "Block" button.
Step 8
Select a desired Web filter under the "Block Web Content Automatically" option, if desired. This will automatically detect websites that meet content criteria, however, it is not guaranteed to catch all questionable content, and it may also block some legitimate websites.
These Parental Control settings should significantly reduce or eliminate the visits your children can make to inappropriate websites.
