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You don't have to hover over your children's shoulders, watching their every move, to keep them safe. Apple has several parental control features for the Mac to help protect them as they browse the internet, use apps, and play games. You can even set time limits for your little ones' computer activities, so they don't overuse their allotted screen time. Here's how to set up and manage Parental controls on your Mac.

If you are looking for how to use parental controls on iOS, check out our ultimate guide to parental controls on iPhone and iPad.

How to create a new user account on Mac

If you currently only have one user account (your administrator account), you'll need to create a new account for your kids.

May 09, 2019  Taking a screenshot on Mac OSX Mojave or higher. Apple is a company that never stops innovating. When the company discovers a way to improve a part of their software in a way to increase the user experience, they will be sure to include it in the next software update, which they did in this case. Jul 10, 2019  3. Click the Parental Controls icon. Click the lock icon in the lower-left corner of the Parental Controls window. Enter the admin username and password. Select a restricted account to the left. Click the Gear icon below the accounts list. Click Turn off Parental Controls.

1. Select System Preferences from the Mac Dock.
2. Choose Users & Groups.

3. Tap the lock at the bottom left.

   Source: iMore

4. Enter your administrative username and password to unlock your accounts.

5. Tap the + at the bottom left.

   Source: iMore

6. Toggle the type of account. Use Standard as your choice.
7. Enter the full name of the child that will be using the new account.
8. Create a password for the account.
9. Verify the password.
10. Add a password hint in case you forget it.

11. Click on Create User to create a new account.

    Source: iMore

12. Repeat Steps 5 to 11 for additional children accounts.

Once you create an account for your child, you must set restrictions by activating Screen Time in macOS Catalina.

How to turn on Screen Time on macOS

Screen Time is located in System Preferences in macOS Catalina. To get started:

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences. Make sure the administrator account is selected at the top left. By default, it is.
2. Select the Options button at the bottom left.

3. Click the Turn On button at the top right.

   Source: iMore

You can now start using Screen Time on Mac. For further information on Screen Time for Mac, see:

• How to use Screen Time on your Mac.

The following steps are exclusive to establishing parental controls on Mac using Screen Time.

How to set restrictions across all devices

Thanks to Screen Time, you can establish restrictions for your children across all of your devices. As changes are made on one device, they'll carry over to the others. However, they must be set up to do so.

On Mac:

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences. Make sure the administrator account is selected at the top left. By default, it is.
2. Select the Options button at the bottom left.

3. Check the box next to Share across devices.

   Source: iMore

How to add a passcode to Screen Time on macOS

So your child can't change restrictions, it's best to set a passcode on the account.

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
2. On the left, toggle the child account.

3. Select the Options button at the bottom left.

   Source: iMore

4. Check the Use Screen Time Passcode box.
5. Add a four-digit passcode

6. Re-enter the four-digit passcode

   Source: iMore

How to schedule Downtime using Screen Time for macOS

During Downtime, only the apps you choose to allow will work for your child on Mac. To set up a Downtime schedule:

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
2. On the left, toggle the child account.

3. Select Downtime on the left side.

   Source: iMore

4. Click the Turn On button to activate Downtime.
5. Using the radio buttons, select Every Day or Custom depending on the schedule you'd like to set.

With Every Day selected, Downtime is enforced during the same time each day. With Custom picked, you can adjust the time for each day of the week or uncheck the box next to a day to turn Downtime off for that day.

You can also select Block at Downtime if you want the machine completely blocked to your child during Downtime.

Mac Book Pro Screen Shot Software Parent Controls 2017

How to set app limits using Screen Time for macOS

In Screen Time for Mac, you can also set app time limits.

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
2. On the left, toggle the child account.
3. Select App Limits on the left side.

4. Click the Turn On button to activate App Limits.

   Source: iMore

5. Select the + to add an app category.

6. Next, check the box next to the app category you'd like to limit.

   Source: iMore

7. Tap the expand icon to see the apps affected by this limit. The list will include apps across all devices, when applicable.
8. With the app category highlighted, set the total limit using the radio buttons. You can set the limits Every Day or using a Custom schedule.
9. Repeat Steps 5-6 for each app category you'd like to limit.

10. Click Done to complete.

    Source: iMore

To remove app limits:

1. In Screen Time for Mac, toggle the child account.
2. Select App Limits on the left side.
3. On the right, uncheck the box next to each app category you no longer want to limit.

4. To turn off app tracking, click the Turn Off button.

   Source: iMore

How to set always allowed content in Screen Time for macOS

You might want specific processes available on the Mac at all the time for your child, regardless of other restrictions. This can include communication with certain people or apps.

To set always allowed content:

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
2. Toggle the child account.
3. Select Always Allowed on the left side.

4. Check the box next to each of the items that you want always to allow.

   Source: iMore

Taking Screenshots Macbook Pro

How to set content and privacy using Screen Time for macOS

Finally, you can restrict content and privacy using Screen Time.

1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
2. Toggle the child account.
3. Select Content & Privacy on the left side.

4. Click Turn On to activate Content & Privacy.

   Source: iMore

5. There are four sections here: Content, Stores, Apps, and Other. Under each, check the box to restrict content and add privacy. See samples below.

   Source: iMore

   Source: iMore

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about setting up and customizing parental controls or enabling remote access to parental controls on a different computer? Let us know in the comments and we'll help you out.

macOS Catalina

Main

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Mac Book Pro Screen Shot Software Parent Controls Windows 10

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As a responsible parent, you want to set limits to keep your children safe. When you use your Mac parental controls, you get to say what your child can and cannot do.

Parental Controls Macbook Pro

You don’t have to have kids to implement parental controls. These controls work nicely in setting limits on employees, friends, or visiting relatives.

Presumably, you already set up your child as a managed account with parental controls. If not, click to select the Enable Parental Controls box in the Accounts window. When you do so, your child’s account goes from being a regular standard account to a managed account, with you as the manager.

In the Accounts window, click Open Parental Controls. Alternatively click Parental Controls inside System Preferences. Either way, you’ll end up in the same place. In the Parental Controls window, select your child’s name in the list on the left. Now you can decide which controls to implement:

• System: Parents can select the Use Simple Finder box to provide your child with the most restricted barebones desktop. Only three folders reside in the Simple Finder version of the Dock (My Applications, Documents, and Shared). Meanwhile, the only applications your kid gets to see are those you’ve designated by selecting the Only Allow Selected Applications option. In this System view, you can also choose whether your child can administer printers, burn CDs and DVDs, change a password, and modify the Dock. (Dock modification is categorically disallowed in Simple Finder.)

• Content: By selecting this tab, you can filter out four-letter words in Dictonary. You can also restrict Web access so that all your child supposedly gets to see are clean sites. Apple will make the decision on your behalf if you select the Try to Limit Access to Adult Website Automatically option. If you click Customize, you can list your own approved sites, as well as those you don’t want your child to view. To see some of the sites that meet Apple’s approval, click Allow Access to Only These Websites. (Discovery Kids, PBS Kids, and Smithsonian Institution are among the sites that made Apple’s list.)

• Mail & iChat: By selecting Limit Mail and/or Limit iChat, you get to approve who your child can exchange e-mails and hold chats with through instant messages. You can also receive an e-mail permission request should your child attempt to communicate with someone who isn’t on the OK list.

• Time Limits: It’s not only a matter of who your child would like to interact with or what programs he wants to play around with — it’s also a matter of when you let him do so. By dragging the sliders shown in this figure, you can establish weekday and weekend time restrictions. In other words, you can prevent access to the Mac when it’s time for him to go bed, choosing different times on school nights and weekends. Your child will get a fair warning shortly before shut down time so that he can save his work. He’ll also get the opportunity to ask for more time.

• Logs: Here’s where you get to, um, monitor (that’s the nice way of saying it) your child’s behavior. You can see the Web sites he visited or tried to visit), the applications he used, and who he chatted with. You can log activity for one week, one month, three months, and so on. And you can group logs by contact or date.

Screenshot Macbook Pro

Is your child using another Mac in the house? You can remotely manage parental controls across all the Macs in your home network. You’ll have to set up an administrator account across all the computers you want to manage. In the lower-left corner of the Parental Controls window, click the small gear icon (just above the padlock). From the pop-up menu, select Allow Remote Setup. Repeat this exercise on each Mac you want to manage.