Microsoft Family Safety to Protect your PC

Technology is fast catching up with the young crowd these days including children. Often, when the parents or adults are not at home, kids are under online threats. This situation can make things complicated as well as leave a bad impact on their life. For this reason, it becomes essential to keep them safe online. You need not restrict their usage of tablets, iPad, Smartphones or PCs but instead opt for a solution that is effective and viable. In order to make things easier regarding safety and security of kids, the option of Family Safety is introduced by Microsoft. Let us understand how this can be used to your benefit.

How Family Safety works

The Microsoft Family Safety incorporates the following features or modes of safety:

The Safety Filter: It is a software that you can setup on any system that is accessed by kids. It helps in monitoring online activity within the parameters of safety settings as defined by you.

 The Safety website: It lets you manage all the setting about family member, allowing you to monitor activity reports. Create relevant settings and then apply them accordingly.

Windows ParentalControls: This feature is helpful in creating safety settings for kids and helps them keeping safe online.

Now let us move on to using Family Safety.

Check if the software is installed or not

If you are using Windows 7 version then, you need not install the filter as it is a pre-installed software. Now, all you require doing is set the filter up: Go to Start-> Programs-> Windows Live-> Windows Live Family Safety.

Here you will see the picture of the Start menu where you can run Windows Live Family Safety. If Family Safety is pre-installed on your computer, and you can find it in the Start menu.

If you are using a different Windows version, where you would need to install Family Safety then navigate to the following.

Go to Windows Live Family Safety page-> Download and follow the command prompts that will help you install it.

Signing into the app

To set up the filter, you need to go to the Microsoft Family Safety website that will again need Windows Live ID. If you do not have it then, it is recommended that you create one for this process.

You should keep in mind that if you are signing in to the account for the first time then you will require parent’s Windows Live ID. The parents need to be the primary admin in the Family Safety. For beginners if you are choosing the primary parent then remember that this option cannot be changed as it is permanent.

Selecting Monitoring

Check mark against the option of Windows account that is dedicated to each family member. The options selected will help you monitor each member, when you are done hit ‘Save’ for applying changes.

If the persons you are monitoring are not using Windows account then, you will need to create an account for them. The process for creating an account only requires entering name and click Create account.

You need to remember that using Family Safety requires Windows account with safety settings. If all the family members are using Windows account then, it becomes easy to apply the safety settings. Thus using the filter you will be able to get the detailed report of each member that will depict their online activities.

For individual settings, you should remember to add Windows account for everyone.

Remember to turn off or disable any guest accounts as these can be used to surpass safety settings.

Matching Windows Account

If you are familiar with Family Safety then, you will be guided towards a screen where you are prompted to match Windows account in accordance with each family member. Once you are done with this, save the settings to apply them. If you cannot find an account then, you can always add one.

If a member is not yet added in the filter then, their name will appear at the end of the list. You can add a name if required.

Adding Passwords

If you have an account that is not yet monitored then, you will need to add a password. This rule will put restriction in surpassing the safety settings and store online activity logs.

You will need to customize the following settings:

•    Setting up the filter

•    Permissions to view a website

•    Restrictions on website viewing

•    What is visible to kids

•    Monitoring online activity

The Family Safety filter from the technology giant has been meticulously designed to keep kids away from malicious and harmful online stuff. Using the filters and customization options, you can utilize it to browse your kids only those stuffs that you want. If you still have any doubt related to the Safety filter then get in touch with an expert on this matter.