Mac parental controls

Configure Apple Screen Time to complement WhitelistVideo on Mac devices.

Video tutorial

Overview

Before you start

You'll need:

• Your own Apple Account
• An Apple Account for your child (create one here if needed)
• Family Sharing set up (recommended)
• Your child's Mac
• About 20 minutes for setup

Step 1: set up Family Sharing

Family Sharing allows you to manage your child's Screen Time settings from your own device.

Create Family Sharing group

1. On your Mac, go to System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Click your name at the top
3. Click Family Sharing
4. Click Set Up Family and follow the prompts
5. Invite your child or create a child account

Official guide: Set up Family Sharing (opens in a new tab)

Step 2: enable Screen Time

On your child's Mac

1. Go to System Settings → Screen Time
2. Click Turn On if not already enabled
3. Select This is My Child's Mac
4. Set a Screen Time passcode (don't share this with your child)

Via Family Sharing (recommended)

You can manage your child's Screen Time from your own device:

1. On your Mac, go to System Settings → Screen Time
2. Under Family, click your child's name
3. Configure settings remotely

Official guide: Set up Screen Time for a child on Mac (opens in a new tab)

Step 3: block app installation

This is critical to prevent your child from downloading alternative browsers.

Restrict App Store purchases

1. Go to System Settings → Screen Time
2. Click Content & Privacy Restrictions
3. Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions
4. Click Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content
5. Under Installing Apps, select Don't Allow

Alternative: require password for purchases

If you want to allow supervised installations:

1. In Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content
2. Under Installing Apps, select Allow
3. Under Require Password, select Always Require

This way, your child needs your Apple Account password to install any app.

Official guide: Use parental controls on your child's iPhone or iPad (opens in a new tab) (similar steps apply to Mac)

Step 4: block other browsers

To ensure YouTube is only accessed through Chrome with WhitelistVideo, block Safari and prevent installation of other browsers.

Block Safari

1. Go to System Settings → Screen Time
2. Click Content & Privacy Restrictions
3. Click App Restrictions
4. Find Safari and turn it OFF

Safari will be hidden from the Mac.

Block other installed browsers

If Firefox, Edge, or other browsers are installed:

1. In Screen Time → App Limits
2. Click Add Limit
3. Select the browser app
4. Set a limit of 0 minutes (or 1 minute)
5. Enable Block at End of Limit

Use app restrictions by rating

Third-party browsers like Firefox and Chrome are often rated 17+ in the App Store.

1. Go to Content & Privacy Restrictions → Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content
2. Under Apps, select 12+ or lower

This blocks installation of 17+ rated apps, including most third-party browsers.

Recommended approach

1. Install Google Chrome on your child's Mac first
2. Block Safari via App Restrictions
3. Block app installation to prevent new browsers
4. Use App Limits to block any other browsers already installed

Step 5: set screen time limits

Daily limits

1. Go to System Settings → Screen Time → App Limits
2. Click Add Limit
3. Select categories or specific apps
4. Set your daily time limit
5. Click Done

Downtime (scheduled breaks)

1. In Screen Time, click Downtime
2. Turn on Scheduled
3. Set start and end times (e.g., 8 PM to 7 AM)
4. During downtime, only apps you've specifically allowed will work

Always allowed apps

1. In Screen Time, click Always Allowed
2. Select apps that should work during Downtime
3. Include Chrome if you want it available during downtime

Official guide: Use Screen Time on your Mac (opens in a new tab)

Step 6: configure content restrictions

Web content filtering

1. Go to Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions
2. Click Store, Web, Siri & Game Center Content
3. Under Web Content, choose:
   • Unrestricted - No filtering
   • Limit Adult Websites - Blocks known adult sites
   • Allowed Websites Only - Only sites you approve

For Chrome browsing

Since WhitelistVideo uses Chrome, rely on WhitelistVideo for YouTube filtering. For general web safety in Chrome, consider:

• Router-based filtering (OpenDNS, CleanBrowsing)
• WhitelistVideo's content controls

Known limitations

Web filtering is Safari-focused

Apple's web content filtering primarily works in Safari. Third-party browsers like Chrome may not fully respect these filters.

Solution: Use WhitelistVideo for YouTube protection. For general web filtering, use Safari with Screen Time filters, or implement router-based filtering.

App updates blocked

When you block app installation, app updates are also blocked.

Solution: Periodically allow app installation, run updates, then re-enable the block.

Passcode recovery

If you forget your Screen Time passcode, recovery is difficult.

Solution: Keep your passcode in a safe place. You can reset it via your Apple Account if Family Sharing is enabled.

Reference: If you forgot your Screen Time passcode (opens in a new tab)

Recommended configuration summary

Alternative: Guided Access (for younger children)

For very young children, consider Guided Access to lock the Mac to a single app:

1. Go to System Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access
2. Turn on Guided Access
3. Triple-click the power button to enable when in Chrome

This prevents your child from leaving Chrome entirely.

Troubleshooting

Safari is still visible

1. Go to Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions → App Restrictions
2. Verify Safari is toggled OFF
3. Restart the Mac

App limits aren't working

1. Check that Screen Time is enabled
2. Verify Block at End of Limit is enabled for the app
3. Check that the Mac's date and time are correct
4. Restart the Mac

Reference: How to Fix Screen Time App Limits not Working (opens in a new tab)

My child bypassed the passcode

1. Change your Screen Time passcode immediately
2. Ensure your child doesn't know your Apple Account password
3. Consider using a longer, more complex passcode

Official resources

• Use Screen Time on your Mac (opens in a new tab)
• Use parental controls to manage your child's device (opens in a new tab)
• Set up Screen Time for a child on Mac (opens in a new tab)
• Set up Family Sharing (opens in a new tab)
• Screen Time passcode recovery (opens in a new tab)

Next steps

After configuring Screen Time:

1. Install the WhitelistVideo extension in Chrome
2. Install WhitelistVideo Advanced Protection for additional Chrome-specific protections
3. Test that Safari is blocked
4. Test that your child cannot install new apps
5. Verify screen time limits work as expected