Safety on Instant Messenger Applications & Your High Speed Internet Provider
Tracking your kids' online activities is vital if you want to keep them safe from danger.
Although some parental controls are set up by high speed Internet providers, you need to take initiative and put your own safety measures in place.
Monitoring MSN Instant Messenger conversations should be high on the priority list.
Windows Live Messenger allows your kids to chat with their friends online, but it's important to make use of the program's integrated safety features so you know who they are talking to at all times.
Here's what you can do to set up the safety features: 1.
Select "Tools" from the top of the main screen.
Click "Options" to set the safety features.
2.
Choose the option that saves all IM conversations.
Under the account for your child, click "Options" and then "Messages" at the left side.
Check "Automatically Keep a History of my Conversations" and click "OK" to save the settings.
3.
Now that you have set up the program to save all conversations, you can read your child's message history by clicking on "File" in the main screen.
Select "View Message History" from the box and go from there.
Now you should be able to read all your kid's IM chats.
4.
Increase the privacy setting by going to "Options" and clicking on "Privacy" in the menu on the left side of the window.
In the "Privacy" window select the option, "Only People On My Allow List Can See My Status and Send Me Messages.
" Friends can be added to the allow list by clicking on the "Contacts" tab on the main page.
5.
Beef up security even more by tweaking the parental controls.
Open MSN Explorer (not the Messenger application) and enter your name and password.
Go to the "Help and Settings" menu and click on "Parental Controls.
" The options listed here will allow you to control how your kids use MSN.
6.
Select the feature that sends you an Online Activity Update so you automatically receive a list of your child's contacts.
Under "Parental Controls," select "Change Parental Controls For a Member Account" and then go to "Supervision" and click "On" for "Online Activity Report.
" 7.
Control and limit the access your child has to MSN by clicking on your kid's account in "Parental Controls.
" Under "Communication" click on "Messenger Access.
" Change the setting to "Restricted Access.
" If your kids want to add new contacts, they have to ask permission first.
This allows parents to know exactly who is on their children's list of chat buddies.
High speed Internet providers offer access to online content for a reasonable price, and make it possible for people to communicate quickly online.
Because of the dangers that lurk on the Internet, it's imperative that you monitor your kids' online activities at all times and restrict their access to certain features through parental control settings.
High speed Internet providers don't safeguard every aspect of Internet browsing, so take the time to set up parental controls, to keep your family safe.
Although some parental controls are set up by high speed Internet providers, you need to take initiative and put your own safety measures in place.
Monitoring MSN Instant Messenger conversations should be high on the priority list.
Windows Live Messenger allows your kids to chat with their friends online, but it's important to make use of the program's integrated safety features so you know who they are talking to at all times.
Here's what you can do to set up the safety features: 1.
Select "Tools" from the top of the main screen.
Click "Options" to set the safety features.
2.
Choose the option that saves all IM conversations.
Under the account for your child, click "Options" and then "Messages" at the left side.
Check "Automatically Keep a History of my Conversations" and click "OK" to save the settings.
3.
Now that you have set up the program to save all conversations, you can read your child's message history by clicking on "File" in the main screen.
Select "View Message History" from the box and go from there.
Now you should be able to read all your kid's IM chats.
4.
Increase the privacy setting by going to "Options" and clicking on "Privacy" in the menu on the left side of the window.
In the "Privacy" window select the option, "Only People On My Allow List Can See My Status and Send Me Messages.
" Friends can be added to the allow list by clicking on the "Contacts" tab on the main page.
5.
Beef up security even more by tweaking the parental controls.
Open MSN Explorer (not the Messenger application) and enter your name and password.
Go to the "Help and Settings" menu and click on "Parental Controls.
" The options listed here will allow you to control how your kids use MSN.
6.
Select the feature that sends you an Online Activity Update so you automatically receive a list of your child's contacts.
Under "Parental Controls," select "Change Parental Controls For a Member Account" and then go to "Supervision" and click "On" for "Online Activity Report.
" 7.
Control and limit the access your child has to MSN by clicking on your kid's account in "Parental Controls.
" Under "Communication" click on "Messenger Access.
" Change the setting to "Restricted Access.
" If your kids want to add new contacts, they have to ask permission first.
This allows parents to know exactly who is on their children's list of chat buddies.
High speed Internet providers offer access to online content for a reasonable price, and make it possible for people to communicate quickly online.
Because of the dangers that lurk on the Internet, it's imperative that you monitor your kids' online activities at all times and restrict their access to certain features through parental control settings.
High speed Internet providers don't safeguard every aspect of Internet browsing, so take the time to set up parental controls, to keep your family safe.