Mac: child Apple ID and Screen Time

Setting up the child account

1. 1

   Create a child Apple ID in Family Sharing

   On your Mac, open System Settings → Family. Add a child and create an Apple ID for them, entering their date of birth accurately — it determines which age-based restrictions are available. Apple requires the child ID to be created by a parent for under-13s.

2. 2

   Give them their own macOS user account

   In System Settings → Users & Groups, add a user for your child and sign them in with the child Apple ID. A separate login is what makes their restrictions distinct from yours — sharing your account means sharing your permissions.

3. 3

   Make sure it is a standard account

   Confirm the account is Standard, not Administrator. An administrator can change Screen Time settings, install software, and undo the configuration.

4. 4

   Turn on Screen Time

   With Family Sharing configured, you can manage your child’s Screen Time from your own Mac, iPhone, or iPad — you do not need to sit at their machine to change a setting.

5. 5

   Set a Screen Time passcode

   Use a passcode that is not their login password and not one they have watched you type. This is the single most common reason a Mac configuration stops holding.

The Screen Time settings that matter

Downtime

A schedule when only apps you allow can be used. The cleanest way to keep the Mac out of the hour before bed without micromanaging a daily total.

App limits

Daily caps by app or by category. Applying a limit to the Web category covers browsers as a group rather than one at a time.

Content & Privacy → Web content

Limit adult sites, or restrict to an allowed list. Unlike Windows, this applies system-wide across browsers rather than only in Safari — a genuine advantage of the Apple implementation.

App Store restrictions

Require approval for installs so a child cannot add an unrestricted browser or a different video app.

Communication limits

Controls who your child can contact during allowed time and downtime. Not video-related, but usually worth setting while you are here.

How this composes with Watchly