Use Windows Vista to help enforce limits on your children's computer use
This week we highlight a special feature of Windows Vista Parental Controls—time restrictions.
If you're a parent, you know there’s more to guiding your children’s computer use than shielding them from inappropriate content or contact with strangers.
You also want to ensure that they aren't on the computer for too long a time or when they’re supposed to be doing something else.
With Windows Vista, after you and your family have agreed on a set of rules governing computer use, Parental Controls can help enforce those limits.
Windows Vista Parental Controls are included in the non-business versions of Windows Vista, which are Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Home Premium, and Windows Vista Home Basic.
Before you can start customizing Parental Controls for your children, you need to create user accounts for each of them. To adjust settings, open Control Panel and then double-click User Accounts and Family Safety. After you select the child you want to apply restrictions to, click Time Limits.
You'll see a grid that shows the days of the week and the hours of the day.
In this example, the white boxes represent the times of day that you allow your child to use the computer. The blue boxes represent the times of day that your child is not allowed to use the computer.
Before you start changing settings, the grid is all white, because the default setting allows your children to use the computer at any time.
Click the specific times and days that you don’t want your child to use the computer.
As your child nears the end of an approved time period, he or she receives warnings that the time period is about to expire.
If your child’s time ends before he or she logs off the computer, Windows Vista suspends your child’s session and displays the logon screen so someone else can use the computer.
Your child's session stays active in the background, so the next time your child logs on, he or she can pick up where they left off without losing their work.
To learn more about other features of Windows Vista Parental Controls, see Features Explained: Parental Controls.
