Parental Controls
Though the internet provides us with access to so much valuable information, it can also be a source of great concern for parents. This concern is exacerbated by the fact that kids often know much more than their parents about how to use the family computer - including internet access. This section of the Aleinu site is meant to assist parents in setting up some parental controls on the family computer.
"Parental controls" is a term used to describe a set of features which are designed to help parents keep their children safe while using a range of devices including, but not limited to, computers, cell phones, video games and more. For now, we will focus on safeguarding the personal computer and particularly access to the internet. With parental controls on both Windows and Apple computers, parents can limit internet use, decide who the child can email, and even set time limits.
Introduction:
The personal computer is made up of hardware and software. The hardware is the physical components, and the software consists of both the operating system (ex: Windows XP or Mac OS X) and additional programs which brings the computer to life. The operating system is the program which allows you, the user, to control and interact with the computer. In order to set up parental controls, you first have to know what kind of computer you are using and what operating system you are running. (Below is a handy image to help you visualize what we are discussing here). Keep in mind, though there are more computers and operating systems than listed below, the Windows and Mac-based systems are the two mostly used by the general parent population.
Many people believe that they need to buy third-party software in order to block or monitor what their children are doing on the computer. To search for such programs, just go to www.google.com and search for
"parental controls." There are many options and some are even free. For some, downloading a program is the easiest way of blocking objectionable content on the internet (good if you are running older versions of Windows such as: Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP). However, if you are running one of the newer operating systems (such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OSX Tiger or Mac OSX Leopard), you may already have the tools you need to control your child's activity on the net (as well as on the computer itself).
In order to help parents understand more about parental controls and how to use them, Aleinu has compiled a set of useful links and videos that will assist parents in setting up these controls. We've tried our best to provide information that is as easy as possible to understand. If you are confused, feel free to
contact us and we'll do our best to help you out.
To learn more about setting parental controls on your computer, click on what of the two options below.
Want to read more articles about internet safety? Click
here for a list of articles on the topic indexed on Google.