Parental Controls on the Mac: Standard Accounts & Screen Time in macOS 27

On a current Mac, parental controls are part of Screen Time and Family Sharing. They are no longer a separate Parental Controls pane in System Preferences, which is what our original guide described. This guide shows how to set up a Mac for your child, step by step. For the bigger picture, see our guide to what to set up first.

Before you start

Your child needs their own Apple Account, as a Child Account in your Family Sharing group if they are under 13. Everyone, including your child, should use their own Apple Account rather than sharing one.

To use the new parental controls, every device in your Family Sharing group needs to be on version 27, which for a Mac means macOS 27 Golden Gate. That needs a Mac with Apple silicon. A Mac that cannot update stays on the earlier Screen Time settings. Our macOS Golden Gate guide lists the Macs that can run it.

Step 1: give your child a standard account

A child with an administrator account can make changes that affect every account on the Mac. To prevent unwanted changes, set up a standard account instead.

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Settings.
2. Click Users & Groups in the sidebar.
3. Click Add User, or Add Account, then enter your administrator password when asked.
4. Choose Standard from the New User pop-up menu.
5. Complete the name and password fields, then click Create User.
6. Restart your Mac or choose Log Out from the Apple menu.
7. At the login window, choose the new account and log in. A setup assistant guides you through the rest. When it asks you to sign in with an Apple Account, enter your child’s details, not your own.

If you and your child share the Mac, remember to log out of your own account when you finish. Your Mac has several ways to switch quickly between users.

Step 2: open your child’s Screen Time settings

You can manage your child’s controls from your own Mac, iPhone or iPad, as the Family Sharing organiser or a parent or guardian. On a Mac, open System Settings, click Family, then click your child’s name.

Step 3: set time boundaries

Time Allowances set how long your child can spend in categories such as Entertainment, Games and Social Media, with age-based starting points you can adjust. Click Time Allowances, click Add, then follow the onscreen instructions. Schedules decide which types of app are available at different times of day. Click Screen Time Schedule, turn on Schedule, click Add Schedule and choose the days it applies to.

Always Allowed keeps chosen apps and contacts available even when other apps are paused. FaceTime, Maps, Phone and Messages are always available by default.

Our guide to Screen Time on iPhone and iPad explains each setting in more detail. The steps are the same on the Mac.

Step 4: control websites

To make your child ask before visiting a new website, choose Apple menu, then System Settings, click Family and click your child’s name. Click Apps & Websites, click Restrictions, scroll down to Websites and click Filtering. Choose Approved Websites Only, then enter your Screen Time passcode if you are asked.

With Ask to Browse, your child asks for permission when they want to visit a new website in Safari or another supported browser. You can approve or decline the request from your own device. If you approve it, the site stays accessible unless you block it later. Ask to Browse is on by default for Child Accounts under 13, and Limit Adult Websites is on by default for Child Accounts under 18.

Step 5: limit features and Siri

In your child’s settings, click Content & Privacy Restrictions. Under Other Features you can allow or block built-in features such as Camera and AirDrop. Under Allow Changes to Settings you can block changes to things like Location Services and Face ID and Passcode. Select Siri to choose whether your child can use Siri AI (Beta), Siri Classic or no Siri. Siri AI is only available to children aged 13 and over.

How does this compare with the old Parental Controls pane?

The old pane had separate sections for Apps, Web, Stores, Time, Privacy and Other. Today those jobs are spread across Family settings. Websites and apps are under Apps & Websites, time limits are Time Allowances and Schedules, and features such as Camera are under Content & Privacy Restrictions. The old step of managing a child’s Mac from another Mac is replaced by managing everything from your own device through Family Sharing.

Need a hand?

If you would like help setting up a Mac for your child, see our Smart Home & Family Safety page or our Mac and Apple device setup and troubleshooting service, or contact Your Mac Tech.