Preferences: How to Use Parental Controls on a Mac

This updated guide examines Preferences: How to Use Parental Controls on a Mac and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Method 1of 3:

Creating a Controllable Account for Your Child

1. Open System Preferences. By default, there should be a System Preferences icon in your Apple Dock. You can also open System Preferences by clicking the icon of an apple in the top left corner, and selecting 'System Preferences.'^[1]
2. Add a user account. On the left of the window will be a list of the user accounts for your computer. Click the '+' button at the bottom of this list. In the 'New Account' field, select 'Managed with Parental Controls.' Fill out the rest of the fields as desired.
3. Return to System Preferences to access Parental Controls. Click 'Create User,' click the lock icon again to lock the menu, and click the back button to return to System Preferences. From here you can edit parental controls for the account you just created.

Method 2of 3:

Editing Parental Controls

1. Open System Preferences. By default, there should be a System Preferences icon in your Apple Dock. You can also open System Preferences by clicking the icon of an apple in the top left corner, and selecting 'System Preferences.'^[2][3]
2. Enable parental controls for the account you want to control. Click 'Users and Groups,' and select the user you want to control from the menu on the left. Make sure the box that says, 'Enable parental controls' is checked. Return to System Preferences.
   • If Users and Groups is locked, click the lock icon in the bottom left corner, and enter your administrator account's name and password when prompted.
3. Access Parental Controls. From System Preferences, click 'Parental Controls.' You will see a message about entering the name and password of an administrator to make changes to parental controls. Click the lock icon in the lower left corner of the screen to do so, and enter your information.
4. Select a user to edit. Pick out the account you want to control from the list on the left side of the screen. Go through the different menus to get a feel for the sort of control you can exercise. You have a wide array of options.
   • Apps allows you to control the appearance of the desktop, limit which applications the user can open, and decide whether the Dock can be modified.
   • Web allows you to control what websites the user can access. You can choose to let Apple automatically limit access to certain websites, or customize which specific websites may be visited.
   • People allows you to control the user's Game Center activity, and who they may contact via Mail and Messages.
   • Time Limits gives you control over how much time the user may spend signed in to the computer. You can apply different limits for weekdays and weekends, and specify bedtimes after which the user cannot be signed in.
   • Other allows you to control the built-in camera, dictation functions, profanity in reference sources like the dictionary, printer use, password changes, and disc burning.
   • Logs lets you review the user's recent activity.

Method 3of 3:

Managing Parental Controls from Another Mac

1. Open System Preferences on your child's computer. By default, there should be a System Preferences icon in your Apple Dock. You can also open System Preferences by clicking the icon of an apple in the top left corner, and selecting 'System Preferences.' Click the lock icon in the bottom left corner, and enter your administrator account's name and password when prompted. Check the box that says, 'Manage parental controls from another computer.'^[4][5]
2. Open System Preferences on the controlling computer. Follow the same steps you followed when doing this previously. As before, click the lock icon in the bottom left corner, and enter your administrator account's name and password when prompted.
3. Select the user you wish to control. You may now make changes to this user account, and access its activity logs. Remember to re-lock Parental Controls when you have finished.