As a parent, you want your children to have a safe and happy experience on the Mac by engaging with age-appropriate content. There are a number of ways to do this using Family Sharing, Screen Time, age ratings and passcodes.

Family Sharing lets you share eligible apps, subscriptions and in-app purchases with up to five Apple Accounts (for children under 13, or the equivalent minimum age applicable in your country or region, the family organiser must create the Apple Account). Simply add those family members to your family and enable Purchase Sharing (System Settings > Apple Account > Family Sharing).

And with Ask to Buy, you can give kids the freedom to make their own choices while still controlling spending and reviewing downloads: whenever a family member who isn’t an adult initiates a new purchase or free download, a request goes to the organiser; the organiser can review the item and approve or decline the request right from their own device.

Content availability may vary per country or region.

Screen Time gives you a better understanding of the time you and your kids spend using apps, visiting websites and using devices overall. You can get weekly reports, see specific app usage and monitor which apps are sending notifications.

Screen Time also lets you limit the amount of time you and your kids can spend each day on specific apps and websites, with exceptions for apps you choose, such as Messages or education apps. (Kids can always request more time when needed, for your approval.) The Downtime option lets you set specific times, such as bedtime, when certain apps and notifications are blocked.

And Screen Time gives you control over how your kids use the App Store: in addition to enabling Ask to Buy, you can decide whether they are allowed to install apps or purchase in-app content, and which apps they can download based on an app’s age rating.

The most flexible and convenient way to manage Screen Time for a child is by using Family Sharing, which lets you remotely manage and monitor each child’s device usage from your own account on any Mac, iPhone or iPad.

To do so, log in to your Mac user account and make sure you’re signed in with your Apple Account. Then go to System Settings > Screen Time, and choose the child’s name next to Family Member on the right.

If you aren’t using Family Sharing, you can still set up Screen Time for a child: log in to the child’s Mac user account, then go to System Settings > Screen Time.

In either case, scroll down and enable Use Screen Time Passcode to keep Screen Time settings from being changed and to require a passcode to allow additional time when limits expire.

You may now configure Screen Time settings:

When evaluating an app, view its age rating on its product page (in the Information section).

To keep your children from accessing your Mac without your permission, set up a passcode that you don’t share with them.