Windows 8 Parental Controls
Begin setting up Windows 8 Parental Controls by configuring one or more user accounts as standard user accounts (accounts that your children will use). You can then configure Parental Controls from an administrator account. Do so by typing in parental in Start Menu Search to locate and access Parental Controls application. Select the user to which you would like to add Parental Controls. This will prompt the User Controls dialog. Parental Controls can be applied only to standard users and not to an administrator-class account. Another limitation is that while technically it is possible to configure Parental Controls on a system in which one or more administrators do not have passwords, it is not recommended. Parental Controls rely on controlled accounts (your kids’ accounts) not having access to administrator accounts. If one or more administrator-class accounts do not have passwords, your kids will be able to bypass any controls you set up. So be sure that any administrator-class accounts on the PC have passwords.
Parental Controls are not enabled for any standard user accounts by default. You can enable Parental Controls by checking the option titled On, enforce current settings, and you can configure features such as time limits, games restrictions, and allow and block specific programs.
Time Limits
Time Restrictions Parental Controls provides a graphical grid that allows you to configure exactly when your kids can use the computer. Windows 8 users can use the PC on any day at any time by default, but by dragging your mouse around the grid, you can prevent your children from using the computer at specific hours, such as late at night or during school hours.
Games Parental Controls
The Game Restrictions Parental Controls specifies whether your children can play games on the PC and which games they can access. Standard account holders can play all games by default. You can modify that setting using the screen that appears when you click Set game ratings. You can accept game ratings using the rating system enabled on your PC. The most common and default system is the Entertainment Software Ratings Board’s (ESRB). You can additionally block games based on content, using a range of content types, including unrated online games, alcohol and tobacco reference, alcohol reference, animated blood, blood, blood and gore, cartoon violence, comic mischief, crude humor, drug and alcohol reference, drug and tobacco reference, drug reference, edutainment, fantasy violence, and about 200 others.
Finally, you can also block or allow specific games, especially many Windows games that do not digitally identify their rating. The nice thing about this UI is that Parental Controls sees which games are already installed on the system and enables you to supply a Caesar-style yea or nay.
Allow and Block Specific Programs
This final setting lets you manually specify applications that you do or do not want your child to use. Standard users can access all of the applications installed on the system by default. Browse to find an application if you do not see it.
