Windows Live Family Safety Filter - Protect Your Kids

Safeguarding Children Online: A Guide to the Microsoft Family Safety Filter

Ensuring children's safety on the internet presents a significant challenge for parents. Balancing the need for children to develop essential computer skills with the desire to shield them from unsuitable content requires careful consideration.

Fortunately, readily available, cost-free resources, such as Open DNS – previously discussed – can assist in maintaining a secure online environment. This article will focus on the Family Safety Filter offered by Microsoft, integrated within the Windows Live Essentials Pack.

Utilizing the Windows Live Family Safety Filter

The initial step involves logging into your existing Live account. If you do not currently possess one, creating a new account is a straightforward process.

This feature can be deactivated, but doing so necessitates your Windows Live password. Therefore, it’s crucial to maintain a strong and securely stored password.

Upon enabling or disabling the filter, a notification will appear in the system tray, displaying its current status.

All filter configurations are managed directly from within your Live account.

You can select from three pre-defined filtering levels or establish custom settings to block specific websites. Parent and child accounts can be created and filtered independently, allowing for age-appropriate access levels. For example, a 14-year-old might have broader access than an 8-year-old.

Within the central control panel, you have the ability to block or permit access to particular sites. Furthermore, you can manage communication on Messenger and Live Spaces. Remember that the Windows Live Safety Filters must be installed on each computer used by children.

When a website is blocked, your child will encounter a message offering the option to email you a request for unblocking.

The activity reports are another valuable feature. These reports detail the websites your children attempt to access, as well as those they successfully visit. This information allows you to manually add sites to the blocked list. The reports also track web access from other applications.

While not foolproof against a technologically adept user, this tool provides a beneficial layer of protection. Its remote accessibility allows you to monitor online activity from any location with an internet connection, such as while at work. This filter should not be considered a replacement for responsible parenting, but rather a supportive tool to facilitate it.

Download Windows Live Family Safety Filter With Windows Live Essentials