Ask the Expert Series

In cooperation with Ann Arbor.com

January 2011 in the Parenting Section

Q: How can I tell where my kids are going online?

A: There are a variety of different ways that you can tell to see where your kids are going online.  The easiest way to check is to open a web-browser and then hold down the "CTRL" and "H" buttons at the same time, this will open up the history of where the web-browser has been.  You can then from there see what specific websites have been visited when.  Also if you go into the history of the web-browser and there is nothing there, its blank, and you know the computer has been used by him/her then that is probably a good indication that they are trying to hide something from you as they have deleted the history of where they have been on the web.  If they are actively hiding things or if you want more control over where they can and cannot go online then it might be a good time to invest in a software program that can control and block objectionable content on the internet or any other content that you don't want them to have access to.  If you would like more information about that type of software, please feel free to call us or visit our website at (734) 274-2266

 

December 2010 in the Parenting Section

Q: How do I set up the parental controls on game consoles such as the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii?

A: All three of those console systems allow parents to set up parental controls on the system to restrict or disallow access to various types of content. The Wii and the Xbox 360 allow you to restrict games based on their ESRB ratings, while the Playstation 3 can restrict content based on the level of the content (from 1-11).

On the Xbox 360, under the “My Xbox," there is a section called “Family Settings." In that section you can set up a variety of settings that control access to the amount of time and content that one can get access to on the Xbox 360. You can restrict content based on the ratings and you can also set up a maximum amount of time that someone can use the Xbox in a day or a week to make sure that a person isn't using the console more than they should be.

On the Nintendo Wii, from the main dashboard click on “Wii System Settings” (lower left corner), and then click on the right arrow to access the second menu to see “Parental Controls." Under that menu you can specify the highest rating of the allowed games and you can also restrict other content accessible through the Internet, including the Internet channel and online communication.

On the Playstation 3, parental controls can be accessed by going to the main menu and then “settings," then “security settings." The settings here allow you to restrict game content and video content along with Internet access.

All of the major gaming systems allow parents a intuitive and straight-forward way to tailor the console's content to be suitable for a wide variety of ages. Combining use of the parental controls with purchasing games using the ESRB ratings is a great way to make sure that your children are playing and watching age-appropriate content.