This Christmas, parents are being urged not to miss the critical 24-hour Safe Setup window, as part of a campaign launched by Microsoft to help parents manage safety settings across all the web connected devices in their home, new and old – including PCs, laptops, tablets, games consoles and smartphones.
With UK retailers like Currys & PC World reporting a surge in demand for new technology, Christmas Day 2012 is likely to see more internet-connected devices given as gifts than ever before. However research shows that parents need help to set them up safely and quickly, ideally the moment they come out of the box.
To help parents and guardians activate safety settings within a critical 24-hour safety window, Microsoft has released a Twelve Steps from Santa checklist with twelve easy steps that parents can take on Christmas Day to ensure any new computers, phones or console are set up safely for all the family to use.
So your family has found their way onto Santa’s ‘nice’ list this Christmas, and are now the proud owners of a host of new devices. But you’re not sure how to make them safe to use for each age-group?
Well, here is Santa’s checklist for the simple steps you can take on Christmas Day to give you peace of mind:
- Rip off wrapping in a frenzy or carefully open and fold paper, depending on your family tradition, then set up any new computers or games consoles in a family room. You can use the KNOWHOW tutorials if you get stuck.
- Create separate user accounts for each member of your family as soon as you start up a new PC, laptop or tablet. If you’re not sure how to do this, check out our Your Devices pages for specific advice.
- Add web content restrictions to any new device connected to the internet, including your smartphone – essential when you have as many tiny feet running around the place as I do. You can read my tips on how to do this here.
- Download internet security software onto your new PC or laptop. No, Elf bowling doesn’t count!
- Check the PEGI rating of any new computer games, so you can judge whether the game’s content is suitable for the people in your family. Now, if I can just figure out the age of all our elves this will be a doddle.
- 6Set up timing restrictions on your new games console, so you can control how long games can be played on a daily or weekly basis. Go to the Games Consoles page for helpful instructions on how to do this.
- For online gaming, create user profiles for each member of the family and configure appropriately. This needn’t be as complicated as you think – the Games Consoles page has some useful tips. We tested them on Mrs Claus, and now even she has her own online avatar!
- Enable strict safety settings on the search engines you use on your new computer, laptop or tablet.
- Sit with your young children the first time they use any new console or computer – especially if it is connected to the internet.
- Set up an email address for the whole family. We have one for online shopping to make it easy to keep tabs of any purchases our elves make – they are always searching for the latest workshop tools online!
- Collapse in a heap in front of the Queen’s speech.
- Check out the Safer Online Facebook page for more tips and advice.
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