Mac Gaming Parental Controls

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.

Jan 12, 2014 Earlier this week, Steam released Family Options, their version of parental controls, for the Steam game client. Read on as we show you how to lock down adult games, online content, and purchasing options to make your Steam client kid-friendly.

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.

Select System Preferences from the Mac Dock.
Choose Users & Groups.
Tap the lock at the bottom left.
Source: iMore
Enter your administrative username and password to unlock your accounts.
Tap the + at the bottom left.
Source: iMore
Toggle the type of account. Use Standard as your choice.
Enter the full name of the child that will be using the new account.
Create a password for the account.
Verify the password.
Add a password hint in case you forget it.
Click on Create User to create a new account.
Source: iMore
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:

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

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

Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
On the left, toggle the child account.
Select the Options button at the bottom left.
Source: iMore
Check the Use Screen Time Passcode box.
Add a four-digit passcode
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:

Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
On the left, toggle the child account.
Select Downtime on the left side.
Source: iMore
Click the Turn On button to activate Downtime.
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.

Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
On the left, toggle the child account.
Select App Limits on the left side.
Click the Turn On button to activate App Limits.
Source: iMore
Select the + to add an app category.
Next, check the box next to the app category you'd like to limit.
Source: iMore
Tap the expand icon to see the apps affected by this limit. The list will include apps across all devices, when applicable.
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.
Repeat Steps 5-6 for each app category you'd like to limit.
Click Done to complete.
Source: iMore

To remove app limits:

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

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

Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
Toggle the child account.
Select Content & Privacy on the left side.
Click Turn On to activate Content & Privacy.
Source: iMore
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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Set Content & Privacy Restrictions

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Continue, then choose 'This is My [device]' or 'This is My Child's [device]'.
- If you're the parent or guardian on your device and want to prevent another family member from changing your settings, tap Use Screen Time Passcode to create a passcode, then re-enter the passcode to confirm. In iOS 13.4 and later, after you confirm your passcode, you'll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. This can be used to reset your Screen Time passcode if you forget it.
- If you're setting up Screen Time on your child's device, follow the prompts until you get to Parent Passcode and enter a passcode. Re-enter the passcode to confirm. In iOS 13.4 and later, after you confirm your passcode, you'll be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. This can be used to reset your Screen Time passcode if you forget it.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode, then turn on Content & Privacy.

Make sure you choose a passcode that's different from the passcode you use to unlock your device. To change or turn off the passcode on your child's device, tap Settings > Screen Time > [your child's name]. Then tap Change Screen Time Passcode or Turn Off Screen Time Passcode and authenticate the change with Face ID, Touch ID or your device passcode.

If you've forgotten your Screen Time passcode, upgrade your device to the latest iOS or iPadOS then reset your passcode. If you can’t update your device, erase it and set it up as new to remove the passcode and choose a new one. Restoring your device from a backup won't remove your passcode.

Find out more about using Family Sharing with Screen Time.

Prevent iTunes & App Store purchases

You can also prevent your child from being able to install or delete apps, make in-app purchases and more. To prevent iTunes & App Store purchases or downloads:

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
Tap iTunes & App Store Purchases.
Choose a setting and set to Don't Allow.

You can also change your password settings for additional purchases from the iTunes & App Store or Book Store. Follow steps 1–3, then choose Always Require or Don't Require.

Allow built-in apps and features

You can restrict the use of built-in apps or features. If you turn off an app or feature, this won’t delete it, it’s just temporarily hidden from your Home screen. For example, if you turn off Mail, the Mail app won't appear on your Home Screen until you turn it back on.

To change your Allowed Apps:

Go to Settings > Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Enter your Screen Time passcode.
Tap Allowed Apps.
Select the apps you want to allow.

Prevent explicit content and content ratings

You can also prevent the playback of music with explicit content and films or TV programmes with specific ratings. Apps also have ratings that can be configured using content restrictions.

To restrict explicit content and content ratings:

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Content Restrictions.
Choose the settings you want for each feature or setting under Allowed Store Content.

Here are the types of content you can restrict:

Ratings For: Select the country or region in the ratings section to automatically apply the appropriate content ratings for that region
Music, Podcasts & News: Prevent the playback of music, music videos, podcasts and news containing explicit content
Music Profiles & Posts: Prevent sharing what you're listening to with friends and seeing what they're listening to
Films: Prevent films with specific ratings
TV programmes: Prevent TV programmes with specific ratings
Books: Prevent content with specific ratings
Apps: Prevent apps with specific ratings

Prevent web content

Mac Parental Control App

iOS can automatically filter website content to limit access to adult content in Safari and apps on your device. You can also add specific websites to an approved or blocked list, or you can limit access to only approved websites. Follow these steps:

Go to Settings > Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and enter your Screen Time passcode.
Tap Content Restrictions, then tap Web Content.
Choose Unrestricted Access, Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only.

Depending on the access you allow, you may need to add information, such as the website that you want to restrict.

Restrict Siri web search

To restrict Siri features:

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Content Restrictions.
Scroll down to Siri, then choose your settings.

You can restrict these Siri features:

Web Search Content: Prevent Siri from searching the web when you ask a question
Explicit Language: Prevent Siri from displaying explicit language

Restrict Game Center

To restrict Game Center features:

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions, then tap Content Restrictions.
Scroll down to Game Center, then choose your settings.

You can restrict these Game Center features:

Multiplayer Games: Prevent the ability to play multiplayer games
Adding Friends: Prevent the ability to add friends to Game Center
Screen Recording: Prevent the ability to capture the screen and sound

Allow changes to privacy settings

Mac Gaming Parental Controls Free

The privacy settings on your device give you control over which apps have access to information stored on your device or the hardware features. For example, you can allow a social networking app to request access to use the camera, which allows you to take and upload pictures.

To allow changes to privacy settings:

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
Tap Privacy, then choose the settings you want to restrict.

Here are the things you can restrict:

Location Services: Lock the settings to allow apps and websites to use location
Contacts: Prevent apps from accessing your Contacts
Calendars: Prevent apps from accessing your Calendar
Reminders: Prevent apps from accessing your Reminders
Photos: Prevent apps from requesting access to your photos
Share My Location: Lock the settings for location sharing in Messages and Find My Friends
Bluetooth sharing: Prevent devices and apps from sharing data through Bluetooth
Microphone: Prevent apps from requesting access to your microphone
Speech Recognition: Prevent apps from accessing Speech Recognition or Dictation
Advertising: Prevent changes to advertising settings
Media & Apple Music: Prevent apps from accessing your photos, videos or music library

Allow changes to other settings and features

You can allow changes to other settings and features, the same way you can allow changes to privacy settings.

Go to Settings and tap Screen Time.
Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions. If asked, enter your passcode.
Under Allow Changes, select the features or settings you want to allow changes to and choose Allow or Don't Allow.

Here are some features and settings you can allow changes for:

Passcode Changes: Prevent changes to your passcode.
Account Changes: Prevent changes to settings for Accounts & Passwords
Mobile Data Changes: Prevent changes to mobile data settings
Volume Limit: Prevent changes to volume settings for safe listening
Do Not Disturb While Driving: Prevent changes to Do Not Disturb While Driving
TV Provider: Prevent changes to TV provider settings
Background App Activities: Prevent changes regarding whether or not apps run in the background.

Learn more

Set up Family Sharing with up to six people to share content, as well as request and make purchases with Ask to Buy.
You can also use Restrictions on your Mac or PC and Apple TV.
Learn how to prevent in-app Purchases or change the credit card you use in the iTunes Store.

Businesses and schools often use profiles, which can turn on Restrictions. To find out if your device has a profile, go to Settings > General > Profiles. Contact your administrator or the person who set up the profile for more information.