Parental controls on your computer - detailed setup instructions. Installing parental controls in Microsoft operating systems

The smartphone has long become a common thing not only in the hands of an adult, but also a child. Many children receive their first mobile phone almost from the first grade in order to always stay in touch with their parents. In addition, a smartphone is not only a means for making calls, but also a fairly powerful educational and gaming platform.

However, a multifunctional gadget in the hands of a minor can also become a source of problems associated with visiting unwanted sites on the Internet or downloading malware. Therefore, the Android system provides the ability to set parental controls on a child’s phone.

Main features of parental controls:

Protecting children from negative web content (violence and pornography);
Prohibition on downloading paid programs;
Protection against harmful viruses that can enter the phone along with applications from unreliable sources;
Limiting the time a child spends playing.

Parents can limit their child’s access to certain phone functions through the Android settings, the Google Play store, and by installing special applications that are installed on the mobile device.

Method 1. Parental control settings in Android

To make the gadget as safe as possible for your child, just set up user access restrictions:

Open Android settings;
Select Users;
Click on the Add user command;
Set restrictions on the guest account.

The child will be able to choose which applications will be installed on his desktop, but parents will control access to them. For example, you can restrict access to the browser or assign a password to the Google Play store.

By setting up parental controls, adults can provide their child with the most useful educational apps, which will be excellent helpers for him in school lessons and when doing homework.

Method 2: Google Play Settings

To prevent a child from downloading everything from the shelves of the Google virtual store, parents just need to enable the “Parental Controls” function in the Google Play application itself:

Open the app store;
Go to settings;
Select “Parental Control”;
Set and confirm your PIN code.

After this, Google Play gives you the opportunity to configure content filtering. Games, apps and movies have rating restrictions ranging from 0 to 18 years. And a checkbox in the “Music” section prohibits downloading songs with profanity.

Method 3. Applications

Parents who are worried about how to control their child's phone can take advantage of the features of special applications. Google Play has several popular and convenient parental control programs:

Screen Time Parental Controls;
Kid's Shell;

Screen Time Parental Controls

The Screen Time app will help parents manage the time their child spends on their smartphone. The program consists of two parts: the main application and the Screen Time Companion add-on, which is installed on the child’s mobile device.

After this, adults can monitor all activity on their son or daughter’s phone: what games the child is playing, how much time he devotes to entertainment applications, what he is watching or listening to.

Among the main functions of the Screen Time application are:

Setting the operating time of applications;
Blocking certain applications;
Ban on access to social networks during school hours;
Adding additional minutes of program operation.

Thus, if a child, as they say, is stuck on the phone instead of studying or having lunch, parents just need to press the necessary buttons in the application on their gadget several times, without taking away the teenager’s favorite mobile phone.

Kid's Shell

Kids's Shell is a launcher for launching only authorized applications and games on the phone. With its help, a kind of safe zone is created in the child’s mobile phone. The launcher can also be installed on the parent’s phone, to which the child has access. In this case, calls and SMS are blocked , as well as access to Google Play.

Basic functions of Kid's Shell

Children's mode, in which only applications selected by parents are launched;
Blocking transitions to Google Play, as well as advertising links and banners;
Prohibition on purchases within installed programs;
Setting a mathematical password to exit the shell.

In the PRO version for 200 rubles, the functionality of the application expands to prohibit Internet access, configure desktops, set the operating time of the smartphone, as well as a built-in player with content useful for children.

YouTube Kids is a special application that contains entertaining and educational videos. Moreover, if parents do not like any video, they just need to click on the “Complain” button, and the specified video will be removed from the program.

All videos in the application are divided into four categories:

Music;
Education;
Kaleidoscope.

Thanks to the large buttons, even the smallest users can operate the interface. You can also connect a smartphone with the installed program to a TV and watch videos on the big screen.

Special settings for adults will allow you to disable the search function so that the child watches only the video on the main screen, and will also limit the operating time of the program.

Safe Lagoon is a universal parental control application. To use it, just follow these simple steps:

Download Safe Lagoon onto your child's device;
Create a parent profile;
Set up security;
Install Lagoon for parents or go to your profile on the website.

In the profile, parents can monitor the child’s activity on the Web and applications, set a limit on working with programs, and even set a geo-perimeter, within which dad and mom will always be able to see where their child is and will receive a notification if he has gone beyond a certain limit. territories.

How to choose a smartphone for parental control

Before setting up parental controls on a child's phone, adults should take care to provide their child with a reliable and inexpensive gadget for studying and playing.

If we are talking about a smartphone for a schoolchild, the following characteristics of the device should be taken into account:

Price. A smartphone should not be too expensive, since children have a habit of often breaking even their most favorite toys;
Functionality. Game and educational applications, as well as special shells for parental control with the programs they contain, should run without problems on the child’s mobile device;
Small dimensions. For children from 7 to 14 years old, it is advisable to purchase light and compact smartphones for more comfortable use.

You can read more about the parameters that parents should pay attention to when looking for a mobile gadget for their child in the article “How to choose the best smartphone for a schoolchild.”

To ensure that the child is provided with a multifunctional mobile device that parents can control using applications and special settings, we recommend paying attention to the model from the British company Fly - the Nimbus 11 smartphone.

It is worth noting that for 14 years, Fly has been consistently providing consumers with powerful, productive and affordable smartphones. In this case, a suitable model can be selected for both adults and children.

Fly Nimbus 11 may well become a child’s first smartphone that will serve him faithfully for many years, educate, inspire, entertain and open the door to the world of high technology for the little person.

For very little money - only 3,790 rubles - adults will be able to provide their child with a convenient and lightweight smartphone with extremely comfortable dimensions: 132.9 x 67.3 x 10.2 mm. The 4.5-inch screen perfectly displays videos and interfaces for entertainment and educational applications.

You can easily install the most convenient parental control applications on your Fly Nimbus 11 smartphone, including launchers with selected software. A powerful 1.1 GHz 4-core processor and 1 GB of RAM are responsible for stable operation here. And so that the child can easily communicate with his friends on social networks (of course, not during school classes or homework), the smartphone has a module installed high-speed 4G LTE connection.

Many parents find it quite difficult to control their children’s actions on the computer, which the latter often abuse by spending too much time playing computer games, visiting sites that are not recommended for school-age children, or engaging in other activities that negatively affect the child’s psyche or interfere with their studies. But fortunately, your Windows 7 computer has special tools that you can use for parental control purposes. Let's figure out how to enable, configure, and, if necessary, disable them.

It was said above that the parental control function is applicable to parents in relation to children, but its elements can be successfully used for adult users. For example, the use of such a system in enterprises would be especially relevant in order to prevent employees from using the computer during working hours for other purposes.

This function allows you to limit certain operations by users, limit the time they spend near the computer and block certain other actions. Such control can be exercised both using the built-in operating system tools and using third-party applications.

Using third party programs

There are a number of third-party programs that have built-in parental controls. First of all, this is antivirus software. These applications include the following antiviruses:

and etc.

In most of them, the parental control function comes down to blocking visits to sites that meet certain characteristics, and to prohibiting visits to web resources at a precisely specified address or template. Also, this tool in some antiviruses allows you to prevent the launch of applications specified by the administrator.

You can learn more about the parental control capabilities of each of the listed antivirus programs by following the link to the review dedicated to it. In this article, we will focus on the built-in Windows 7 tool.

Turning on the tool

First of all, let's figure out how to activate the parental controls already built into Windows 7. You can do this by creating a new account, the manipulations of which will be controlled, or by applying the necessary attribute to an existing profile. The mandatory requirement is that he should not have administrative rights.

Click "Start". Click "Control Panel".

Now click on the inscription "User accounts…".

Go to "Parental control".

Before proceeding to create a profile or apply a parental control attribute to an existing one, you should check whether a password is assigned to the administrator profile. If it is missing, then it needs to be installed. Otherwise, a child or other user who will have to log into the system under a controlled account can safely log in through the administrator’s profile, thereby bypassing all restrictions.
If you already have a password set for your administrator profile, then skip the further steps to set it. If you have not done this yet, then click on the name of the profile with administrative rights. In this case, you must work in the system under the specified account.

A window will be activated where it will be reported that the administrator profile does not have a password. It immediately asks whether it is worth checking for passwords now. Click "Yes".

A window opens "Secure administrator passwords". In element "New Password" enter any expression by entering which you will log in to the system under the administrator profile in the future. It is worth remembering that when entering, the case is taken into account. To the region "Password confirmation" you should enter exactly the same expression as in the previous case. Region "Enter a password hint" filling out is not required. You can enter any word or expression into it that will remind you of the password if you forget it. But it’s worth considering that this hint will be visible to absolutely all users who try to log into the system under the administrator’s profile. After entering all the required data, click "OK".

After this, you return to the window "Parental control". As you can see, next to the name of the administrator account there is now a status indicating that the profile is password protected. If you need to activate the function you are studying for an existing account, then click on its name.

In the window that appears in the block "Parental control" move the radio button from position "Off" into position "Turn on". After that press "OK". The function regarding this profile will be enabled.

If a separate profile for the child has not yet been created, then do this by clicking in the window "Parental control" according to the inscription "Create a new account".

The profile creation window opens. In field "New account name" indicate the desired name of the profile that will work under parental control. It can be any name. For this example we will assign the name "Child". After that click "Create an account".

After the profile is created, click on its name in the window "Parental control".

In the block "Parental control" put the radio button in position "Turn on".

Setting the function

So parental controls are enabled, but they don't actually set any restrictions until we set them ourselves.

There are three groups of constraint directions that are displayed in the block "Windows Settings":
- Time limits;
- Application blocking;
- Games.
Click on the first of these names.

A window opens "Time limit". As you can see, it presents a graph in which the rows correspond to the days of the week, and the columns correspond to the hours of the day.

By holding down the left mouse button, you can highlight the graph plane in blue, indicating the period of time when the child is prohibited from working with the computer. At this time, he simply will not be able to log into the system. For example, in the picture below, a user who logs in under a child’s profile will be able to work with the computer from Monday to Saturday only from 15:00 to 17:00, and on Sunday from 14:00 to 17:00. After the period is marked, click "OK".

Now let's go to the section "Games".

In the window that opens, by toggling the radio button, you can specify whether the user under this account can play games at all or not. In the first case, the switch in the block “Can a Child run games?” must stand in position "Yes"(by default), and in the second - "No".

If you choose the option that allows you to play games, you can additionally set some other restrictions. To do this, click on the inscription "Set game categories".

First of all, by toggling the radio button, you need to indicate what to do if the developer has not assigned the game a certain category. There are two options:
- Allow games without specifying a category (default);
- Block games without specifying a category.
Choose the option that suits you.

In the same window, go down further. Here you need to indicate the age category of games with which the user can play. Select the option that suits you by installing the radio button.

Going even lower, you will see a large list of content, the launch of games with the presence of which can be blocked. To do this, just check the boxes next to the appropriate items. After all the necessary settings in this window have been made, click "OK".

If you need to ban or allow specific games, knowing their names, then click on the inscription "Prohibition and permission of games".

A window opens where you can set which games are allowed to be turned on and which are not. By default, this is set by the category settings that we set a little earlier.

But if you set the radio button opposite the game name to the position "Always allow", then it can be enabled regardless of what restrictions are set in the categories. Similarly, if you set the radio button to position "Always prohibit", then the game will not be able to be activated even if it meets all the conditions specified earlier. Enabling those games whose switch remains in position "Depends on the rating", will be regulated exclusively by the parameters set in the category window. After all the necessary settings have been made, click "OK".

Returning to the game management window, you will notice that opposite each parameter the settings that were previously set in specific subsections are displayed. Now all you have to do is click "OK".

After returning to the user controls window, go to the last settings item - “Allowing and blocking specific programs”.

A window opens “Selecting programs that a Child can use" There are only two items in it, between which you must choose by moving the switch. The position of the radio button determines whether the child can work with all programs or only with the permitted ones.

If you set the radio button to position “The child can only work with approved programs”, then a list of applications will additionally open, where you need to select the software that you allow to be used under this account. To do this, check the boxes next to the corresponding names and click "OK".

If you want to prohibit work only in certain applications, and do not want to restrict the user in all others, then checking the boxes next to each name is quite tedious. But you can speed up this process. To do this, immediately click "Select all", and then manually uncheck those programs that you do not want your child to run. Then, as always, click "OK".

If for some reason this list does not contain the program that you would like to allow or prohibit your child from working with, this can be corrected. Click the button "Review…" to the right of the inscription "Add a program to this list".

A window opens in the directory where the software is located. You should select the executable file of the application that you want to add to the list. Then click "Open".

After this, the application will be added. Now you can work with it, that is, allow it to run or prohibit it, on a general basis.
Once all the necessary actions to block and allow specific applications have been completed, return to the main user controls window. As you can see, the main restrictions we set are displayed on the right side. For all these parameters to take effect, click "OK".

Disabling the feature

But sometimes the question arises, how to disable parental controls. It is impossible to do this from a child’s account, but if you log into the system as an administrator, then disabling is simple.

Tool "Parental control", which is built into the Windows 7 OS, can significantly limit the performance of unwanted operations on the computer by children and other users. The main directions of this function are to limit the use of a PC according to a schedule, prohibit the launch of all games or individual categories, as well as restrict the opening of certain programs. If the user believes that these features do not sufficiently protect the child, then, for example, to block visits to sites with inappropriate content, you can use special tools in anti-virus applications.

Parental controls in Windows 10 are a free option with which you can limit children’s access to websites, games, programs, and also set the total time spent working on a computer or laptop. It is available by default in this OS, so you just need to enable it.

Of course, parental controls have undergone some changes compared to G8. In short, this feature has become much more difficult to use. Firstly, in offline mode, parental controls in Windows 10 no longer work - a constant Internet connection is required. Secondly, you also need Microsoft accounts (if you don’t have them, you’ll have to create them). However, first things first.

By the way, if you have another PC or laptop and a “seven” or “eight” is installed there, then I recommend reading the following:

How to enable parental controls in Windows 10

So, the first step is to create a child account. After all, for local accounting. profiles, you cannot enable parental controls on Windows 10.

It's very simple to create it:

If he is less than 8 years old, then for such registration. recording will be automatically enabled for maximum security. If the children are older, then the parameters are adjusted manually. Although in the first case, you can also change any parameters you choose.

And the last step is to enter your phone or e-mail address to be able to restore your account. records (for example, if you forget your password). You will also be asked for permission to use the entered data by Microsoft. Of course, it is best to disable this option. After this, the new profile will be successfully created.

If you want to set up parental controls on Windows 10 for a child, then it is advisable to complete the login and initial setup yourself (to log into a new profile, open “Start” and click on the desired account). Why is this necessary? First, you may have to set additional settings. Secondly, when you turn it on for the first time, this message will pop up:

In the future, parental control settings are carried out through the administrator’s profile online.

How to set up parental controls in Windows 10

To go to setting up parental controls, go to:

Start – Settings – Accounting. records.
Family and other users.
Manage family settings.

After this, the following window will open:

This is where parental controls are configured in Windows 10. Since there are quite a lot of functions, let’s look briefly at each of them:

In principle, all the options are standard and are already familiar to the average user, so you won’t have to understand them.

By the way, if a time limit is set in Windows 10 parental controls, the child may ask for a few extra hours.

As a result, the parent will receive a corresponding letter by e-mail, through which they can extend the session time.

Some nuances of parental controls in Windows 10

It’s not clear why the developers broke everything that worked perfectly in the G8, plus they put a couple of spokes in the wheels.

Firstly, blocking sites with prohibited content only works in Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge browsers. It is clear that this is an advertisement for their products, but who uses them today? As a result, users have to manually configure parental controls for other browsers (Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox).

By the way, when you open any blocked site, you can send a request to gain access to it.

Secondly, you cannot block games and programs until the child starts them. Although they still appear with a very long delay (at least 1 day).

And most importantly: a smart child who knows how to use Google and Yandex can easily bypass all parental control restrictions in Windows 10. You just need to log in under the child’s account. record, and then activate the local profile - and all the restrictions you set will no longer work. Of course, you won’t be able to turn it off unnoticed; you will definitely find out about it. But what's the point if the child gets unlimited access to a computer or laptop? And what this is all about - a mistake by the developers, or whether they did it on purpose - we can only guess.

The Parental Controls feature in Windows 10 helps you monitor your children's activities while using the computer. It evaluates programs and applications installed on the device based on the age limit, and also controls visits to sites on the Internet.

Parental Control Features

With the help of this software component, a child can use the computer and the Internet more safely. Parental controls give parents access to the following options:

Monitoring the actions performed by the child.
Allows you to download and install games depending on the age limit.
Monitors the use of browsers, saves the history of website visits.
Limits the operating time of the device.

After modifications, additional features of this software component appeared in Windows 10. With their help, you can control the purchase of applications and games in the Windows online store in accordance with five age categories:

for all ages;
from 6 years;
from 12 years old;
from 16 years old;
from 18 years old.

Turning on and off

To enable this feature in Windows 10, go to the Start menu and go to User Accounts. In the Family and Others category, click Add a Family Member.
The operating system will offer a choice of creating a profile for a child or an adult.
After selecting the appropriate option, enter your email address. Confirm it by going to your email inbox.

Important! The operating system will not allow you to activate parental controls for a local account. Therefore, create a new profile for each user you want to monitor.
Enabling the parental control feature is complete. To disable this mode, log in as an administrator and make the appropriate settings in the “Family and other users” section. Here, click on the child’s account and click the “Delete” button, confirming the selected action when prompted by the system.

Settings

To configure parental control settings, go to the “Family and other users” section, where open the “Manage family settings online” item.

After this, Windows 10 will open a new browser window in front of you. Here, select the user you are monitoring and configure the monitoring function.

Navigation on the page is carried out on the left side, where there are six points:

Recent activities. This section will allow you to monitor your child’s actions, the addresses of the pages he or she viewed, and also monitor the total time spent on the device.
Browsing the web. Using this item, you can control the sites your child views. Open or close access to Internet resources at your discretion.
Applications, games and multimedia. You can set restrictions on programs and games downloaded from the Windows online store. In this case, the age category is assessed automatically.
Timer for working with the device. Here you can indicate the total time your child will spend in front of the device.
Shopping and spending. This section will allow you to keep track of your spending in the Windows online store. You can credit money to a user's account without providing your credit card information.

Video

You can learn more about how to properly enable and configure the parental control function in the video.

Conclusion

The parental control function will allow you to monitor your child’s activities on the computer. Using the Internet in this case will become safer. Therefore, this software component is a reliable assistant for parents.