Using the Online Timer

Getting Started Setting a Simple Schedule Setting an Advanced Schedule Granting Additional Time

Getting Started With the Online Timer

The Parental Controls’ Online Timer lets you control both when your child is allowed to be online and how much time your child can spend online.

  • When describes the times of day that you think it’s appropriate for your child to be online. For example, if you don’t want your child online when he’s supposed to be asleep, you would only allow him to be online from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

  • How much describes the number of hours per day you think is appropriate for your child to be online. For example, you may think that two hours is the maximum amount of time for your child to spend online in one day.

If you only want your child to be online for two hours a day and only when you’re home after dinner, set both options: when = 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and how much = two hours.

You have two choices for the type of schedule you set for your child:

  • A simple schedule sets the same limits for each day of the week. It lets you choose only one time period during the day, such as from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., that your child can be online.

  • An advanced schedule allows you to pick a different amount of time for each day of the week. This is useful, for example, if you want to set different time limits on weekends versus weekdays. You can also give your child online access during multiple periods during the day, such as before school (6 a.m. to 8 a.m.), after school (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.), and after dinner (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.). You can set both when and how much differently for each day of the week.

The Online Timer is off by default for all Parental Controls access levels. You need to turn it on and configure it for each child whose online time you want to limit.

Note: For important information about using Parental Controls with Microsoft Windows Vista™, see AT&T Help.

 

Here’s How

  1. To turn the Online Timer on for your child, go to the child’s Parental Controls settings page.

    Click the child's name to go to her Parental Controls settings page.

  2. At the bottom of the page, click the Online Timer link or the Edit Timer Settings link to display the child’s Online Timer page.

    Click the Online Timer link to display the child's Online Timer page.

  3. Click the checkbox to turn on the online timer.

    Click the check box to turn on the Online Timer and select the correct time zone for your child's location from the time zone pull down menu.

  4. Select the correct time zone for your child’s location from the time zone pull-down menu.

  5. Set up your child’s schedule, either a simple schedule or an advanced schedule.

    If you turn on Parental Controls but don’t set up a schedule for your child, the Online Timer uses a default simple schedule. This schedule allows your child to be online for a maximum of four hours per day between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

  6. Click the Save Settings button.

  7. Be sure to activate Parental Controls on every machine that your child uses to access the Internet. The Parental Controls software can only enforce time limits on computers where it’s installed and active.

 

What’s Next

Whenever your child logs on to Yahoo! on a computer with Parental Controls active, the Online Timer will limit his online activities.

Help Topics


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Words to Know

  • Access level: a predefined set of access settings appropriate for a specific age range of users.
  • Advanced schedule: an Online Timer schedule where the child’s restrictions on when and how much time she spends online can be different every day.
  • Simple schedule: an Online Timer schedule where the child’s restrictions are the same every day.