Restricting Software Installation

You can prevent a user from installing additional software, either for the entire system, or just for themselves. They will still be able to search for new software to install, but will need an administrator to authorize the installation when they try to install an application.

Additionally, you can restrict which software a user can browse or search for in the Software catalog by age categories.

To prevent a user from running an application which has already been installed, see .

Preventing Software Installation

To prevent a user from installing additional software:

Open the Parental Controls application.

Select the user in the tabs at the top.

Enable the Restrict Application Installation checkbox.

Or enable the Restrict Application Installation for Others checkbox.

The Restrict Application Installation for Others checkbox allows the user to install additional software for themselves, but prevents that software from being made available to other users. It could be used, for example, if there were two child users, one of whom is mature enough to be allowed to install additional software, but the other isn’t — enabling Restrict Application Installation for Others would prevent the more mature child from installing applications which are inappropriate for the other child and making them available to the other child.

Restricting Software Installation by Age

Applications in the Software catalog have information about content they contain which might be inappropriate for some ages — for example, various forms of violence, unmoderated chat with other people on the internet, or the possibility of spending money.

For each application, this information is summarized as the minimum age child it is typically suitable to be used by — for example, “suitable for ages 7+”. These age ratings are presented in region-specific schemes which can be compared with the ratings schemes used for films and games.

The applications shown to a user in the Software catalog can be filtered by their age suitability. Applications which are not suitable for the user will be hidden, and will not be installable by that user. They will be installable by other users (if their age suitability is set high enough).

To filter the applications seen by a user in the Software catalog to only those suitable for a certain age:

Open the Parental Controls application.

Select the user in the tabs at the top.

In the Application Suitability list, select the age which applications should be suitable for.

The user’s actual age is not stored, so the Application Suitability is not automatically updated over time as the child grows older. You must periodically re-assess the appropriate Application Suitability for each user.