erm, guys...
Who said anything about Messenger Plus!, speaker icons and such?
It could well be that his daughter has installed stuff like SweetIM or SmileyCentral and/or the likes. So we better wait on a screenshot I think...
EDIT: Hmmm, I didn't refreshed the page before I posted this and this was the last tab open, sorry (/me slaps himselfs... this happens everytime and I still didn't learned it
). I see Eljay already hit the nail...
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Oh, and you can have parent restrictions on a Hotmail account (now named Windows Live Hotmail) btw.
As a parent you can set up child accounts which you could control. For more information see
https://account.live.com/HelpCentral.aspx: > select Account management in the dropdown list
> How do I manage my child's permissions
> What happens when I close my child's account
> How do I edit my child's registration information
> etc...
(open the site in Microsoft Internet Explorer for best result)
Though I must say I do not know what this would imply when you use Messenger. I'm afraid it doesn't do much once you're in Messenger itself... If you want to restrict the use of certain content there is nothing much more you can do then joining your kid at the computer...
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PS: With Microsoft's Windows Live Parental Control (now still in beta) you will be able to control what you're kids are doing. eg: with "contact management" parents can approve contacts on Windows Live Mail and Windows Live Messenger. The feature also gives control over who can access the kids' blogs on Microsoft's Spaces service.
http://microsoft.ninemsn.com.au/protectyourkids.aspx
http://get.live.com/betas/familysafety_betas
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windows...entalcontrols.mspx
some quotes from
ninemsn:
quote:
There is no foolproof way to protect your children online – or anywhere else for that matter! As in the real world, there are precautions that families can take in the online world to reduce the chances of children encountering dangerous or unsuitable material.
quote:
Talk with your child often about what they do online and who they talk to. Better yet, join your children as they surf the Internet. Taking an interest in what your child or teen does online doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of trust: just as you’re interested in their “real world” friends, you might want to show an interest in their "net friends".
I hope all this helps a bit in the mean time, or at least gives some hints on what you could do...
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