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Microsoft opened up its Windows Live OneCare Family Safety beta this week. Parents can sign up to test the service designed give them more control over what their children see and do on the Internet.

The Redmond, Washington-based software company laments how the opportunities for education the Internet offers are often tarnished with questionable content. The Live OneCare Family Safety public beta is available in the U.S. to try out through ideas.live.com.

Features of the service include:

Content filtering. Web filtering that lets users to set allow, block or warn settings for a range of content categories, and settings that can be applied for each member of the household. Parents can review and adjust family settings that are automatically applied to computers with the Family Safety software installed.

Expert Guidance. Advice from child organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics on age appropriate settings. Users have access to guidelines on how to help a child use online communications safely or how parents should talk to children about inappropriate Web browsing.

Activity reports. Parents can access activity reports for each user in the family, anytime from any Internet-connected PC, to stay informed about how their children are browsing the Web.

Contact management. In future versions, parents will be able to create "allow" lists for other Windows Live services their children might use to communicate with others, like instant messaging, so that they can communicate only with approved contacts.

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