Parental Control Software Mac Os X

Parental controls are a great way to limit what your child do on your Mac by restricting certain features and adding time limits to their computer usage.

In this tutorial we will be showing you how to enable and set up parental controls on a Mac OS X user account. This tutorial requires no additional software.

Works on Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and Kindle. The internet’s best free parental control app Designed to supervise, manage, and protect your child's device use on the go!

Enabling Parental Controls

To start, open System Preferences. Once it has completely launched, look towards the System header. Under this heading, you will see an option labeled Parental Controls. Click on this option.

System Preferences will now ask you to either create a new account with parental controls or to apply parental controls to the account you are currently logged in to. For this tutorial, we will be creating a new account with parental controls. After you have chosen the option that applies to you, press the Continue button located towards the bottom right-hand corner of the window.

If you choose to make a new account, you will be brought to a screen to make a new user account. After you have created a new account, you will be redirected to a page where you can set up parental controls.

Setting Up Parental Controls

From here you can choose which apps you would like to refrain your child from accessing. In the Apps tab, you can restrict your child from using certain apps or from downloading or installing certain apps from the Mac App Store. You can even restrict downloading apps by age group. Lastly, you can restrict a child from modifying the dock.

If you click the Logs button, you can view your child’s web browsing history, app log, etc. This button is located towards the lower right-hand corner of the window.

If you click on the Web tab, you can customize the websites your child can visit. For instance, you can give them unlimited access to the Internet, restrict web pages that are deemed “inappropriate”, or allow access to only certain websites.

Under the People tab you can limit whom your child talks to in iChat or Mail. To do this, simply check whether you would like to filter Mail, iChat, or both. Now click the “+” sign that is located towards the bottom left-hand corner of the window. You can now type in the information of the person that you would like your child to have contact with.

If you would like to set time limits on your Mac, click on the Time Limits tab. From here you can set daily time limits, weekend time limits, or even a bedtime setting that restricts your child to using the Mac during only certain daytime hours.

The Other tab has options that you can set to restrict your child from burning CDs and DVDs and other useful options such as hiding profanity in the Mac’s dictionary.

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Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

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In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.

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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.

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  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

Control

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.

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

Parental Controls Software Windows 10

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

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

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Parental Controls Mac Os Catalina

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