Mac Set Screen Time For Games

Having children in the age of technology presents parents with many challenges. One of the largest is making sure your loved ones are safe and healthy by limiting the time they spend staring at a screen. It's also important to monitor and restrict what they are doing during that time. With Screen Time, you can keep your family's device usage in check.

How to Optimize Your Mac for Gaming. I've had some titles strain in windowed mode but really pick up when set to full-screen, and other titles choke in full-screen but suddenly become playable.

In iOS 13, Apple added more Screen Time tools for parents. Here's how to set up Screen Time for your child so you can be sure they're enjoying their new tech responsibly.

There are two ways you can set up Screen Time controls for your child: through Family Sharing and directly on a device.

How to set up Screen Time for your child through Family Sharing

With Family Sharing, you create an Apple ID for your kids. In doing so, all members of a family can share their Apple purchases such as apps, music, and books. With Family Sharing, you can set Screen time rules for each individual family member, so you can be certain that everyone has settings that fit their needs and lifestyle.

To add a child account to family sharing, check out our How to create and add a child to Family Sharing article.

After you've added your child's account to Family Sharing, you can control their Screen Time settings by doing the following.

  1. Launch Settings.
  2. Tap on your Apple ID.
  3. Tap Family Sharing.
  4. Tap Screen Time.

  5. Follow the instructions to create your child's Apple ID

    Source: iMore

How to set up Screen Time for your child directly on a device

Though Family Sharing is a great tool, it isn't for everyone. If you'd prefer not to give your child their own Apple ID just yet and would instead like to set up Screen Time directly on the device your child will use, you can absolutely do that as well. Here's how.

  1. Launch Settings.
  2. Tap Screen Time. You'll see a list of insights that Screen Time provides.

  3. Tap Continue.

    Source: iMore

  4. Tap This is My Child's iPhone/iPad to set up Screen Time on this device for a child. You can then set a Downtime (i.e. a chunk of time — say, nighttime — when you don't want them using their device).
  5. Tap Start.
  6. Select a start time.
  7. Tap Start again. Do the same for the End time.

  8. Tap Set Downtime to save your settings.

    Source: iMore

  9. Set your child's App Limits (the amount of time per day that you want your kiddo to spend on certain categories of apps). For instance, if you only want them to spend 30 minutes per day playing games, then tap Games to select that category. Then scroll down to the bottom to where it says Time Amount, enter 30 minutes, then tap Set App Limit. You can set limits on as many individual app categories as you like, or you can set an umbrella time for all apps.

    Source: iMore

  10. Tap Continue after reviewing Content & Privacy controls.
  11. Create a four-digit Parent Passcode using the numerical keyboard. Your child's device will require this passcode in order to allow for more time or to change any Screen Time settings.

  12. Re-enter the passcode.

    Source: iMore

That's it! The Screen Time settings on your child's device are now in place. If you ever want to make any changes, all you'll need to do is launch Screen Time using the first two steps in the tutorial above and then enter your Parent Passcode.

How to set communication limits for your child

Beginning with iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, Screen Time includes the ability to create communication limits. These limits, which you can set for yourself and your children, apply to Phone, FaceTime, Messages, and iCloud contacts.

Games
  1. Launch the Settings app on your mobile device.
  2. Tap Screen Time.

  3. Under Family, tap your child's name.

    Source: iMore

  4. Select Communication Limits.
  5. Enter your Screen time password, if applicable.
  6. Tap During Allowed Screen TIme
  7. On the next screen, you can decide Allowed Communication is Everyone or Contacts Only.

  8. Tap the Allow Introductions in Groups toggle if you want to allow people to be added to group conversations when someone is already a contact or family member.

    Source: iMore

  9. Tap the Back button at the top left.
  10. Select During Downtime to limit who your child can communicate with during downtime or after app limits have expired.

  11. On the next screen, you can decide Allowed Communication is Everyone or Contacts Only.

    Source: iMore

  12. Tap the Back button at the top left.
  13. From the Communications Limits screen, tap the Manage (Your Child's Name) Contacts toggle if you'd like to manage their iCloud contacts remotely.

  14. Toggle Allow Contact Editing if you'd like to turn contact editing on/off for your child.

    Source: iMore

Questions?

Do you have any further questions about setting up Screen Time on your youngster's new device? Leave them in the comments below and we'll do our best to help you out.

Updated February 2020: Includes information on iOS 13.3.1.

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You don't have to hover over your children's shoulders, watching their every move, to keep them safe. Apple has several parental control features for the Mac to help protect them as they browse the internet, use apps, and play games. You can even set time limits for your little ones' computer activities, so they don't overuse their allotted screen time. Here's how to set up and manage Parental controls on your Mac.

If you are looking for how to use parental controls on iOS, check out our ultimate guide to parental controls on iPhone and iPad.

How to create a new user account on Mac

If you currently only have one user account (your administrator account), you'll need to create a new account for your kids.

  1. Select System Preferences from the Mac Dock.
  2. Choose Users & Groups.

  3. Tap the lock at the bottom left.

    Source: iMore

  4. Enter your administrative username and password to unlock your accounts.

  5. Tap the + at the bottom left.

    Source: iMore

  6. Toggle the type of account. Use Standard as your choice.
  7. Enter the full name of the child that will be using the new account.
  8. Create a password for the account.
  9. Verify the password.
  10. Add a password hint in case you forget it.

  11. Click on Create User to create a new account.

    Source: iMore

  12. Repeat Steps 5 to 11 for additional children accounts.

Once you create an account for your child, you must set restrictions by activating Screen Time in macOS Catalina.

How to turn on Screen Time on macOS

Screen Time is located in System Preferences in macOS Catalina. To get started:

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences. Make sure the administrator account is selected at the top left. By default, it is.
  2. Select the Options button at the bottom left.

  3. Click the Turn On button at the top right.

    Source: iMore

You can now start using Screen Time on Mac. For further information on Screen Time for Mac, see:

  • How to use Screen Time on your Mac.

The following steps are exclusive to establishing parental controls on Mac using Screen Time.

How to set restrictions across all devices

Thanks to Screen Time, you can establish restrictions for your children across all of your devices. As changes are made on one device, they'll carry over to the others. However, they must be set up to do so.

How To Print Screen On Mac

On Mac:

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences. Make sure the administrator account is selected at the top left. By default, it is.
  2. Select the Options button at the bottom left.

  3. Check the box next to Share across devices.

    Source: iMore

How to add a passcode to Screen Time on macOS

So your child can't change restrictions, it's best to set a passcode on the account.

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
  2. On the left, toggle the child account.

  3. Select the Options button at the bottom left.

    Source: iMore

  4. Check the Use Screen Time Passcode box.
  5. Add a four-digit passcode

  6. Re-enter the four-digit passcode

    Source: iMore

How to schedule Downtime using Screen Time for macOS

During Downtime, only the apps you choose to allow will work for your child on Mac. To set up a Downtime schedule:

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
  2. On the left, toggle the child account.

  3. Select Downtime on the left side.

    Source: iMore

  4. Click the Turn On button to activate Downtime.
  5. Using the radio buttons, select Every Day or Custom depending on the schedule you'd like to set.

With Every Day selected, Downtime is enforced during the same time each day. With Custom picked, you can adjust the time for each day of the week or uncheck the box next to a day to turn Downtime off for that day.

You can also select Block at Downtime if you want the machine completely blocked to your child during Downtime.

How to set app limits using Screen Time for macOS

In Screen Time for Mac, you can also set app time limits.

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
  2. On the left, toggle the child account.
  3. Select App Limits on the left side.

  4. Click the Turn On button to activate App Limits.

    Source: iMore

  5. Select the + to add an app category.

  6. Next, check the box next to the app category you'd like to limit.

    Source: iMore

  7. Tap the expand icon to see the apps affected by this limit. The list will include apps across all devices, when applicable.
  8. With the app category highlighted, set the total limit using the radio buttons. You can set the limits Every Day or using a Custom schedule.
  9. Repeat Steps 5-6 for each app category you'd like to limit.

  10. Click Done to complete.

    Source: iMore

How to screen record on mac

To remove app limits:

  1. In Screen Time for Mac, toggle the child account.
  2. Select App Limits on the left side.
  3. On the right, uncheck the box next to each app category you no longer want to limit.

  4. To turn off app tracking, click the Turn Off button.

    Source: iMore

How to set always allowed content in Screen Time for macOS

You might want specific processes available on the Mac at all the time for your child, regardless of other restrictions. This can include communication with certain people or apps.

How To Screen Record On Mac

To set always allowed content:

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
  2. Toggle the child account.
  3. Select Always Allowed on the left side.

  4. Check the box next to each of the items that you want always to allow.

    Source: iMore

How to set content and privacy using Screen Time for macOS

Finally, you can restrict content and privacy using Screen Time.

  1. Click Screen Time in System Preferences.
  2. Toggle the child account.
  3. Select Content & Privacy on the left side.

  4. Click Turn On to activate Content & Privacy.

    Source: iMore

  5. There are four sections here: Content, Stores, Apps, and Other. Under each, check the box to restrict content and add privacy. See samples below.

    Source: iMore

    Source: iMore

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about setting up and customizing parental controls or enabling remote access to parental controls on a different computer? Let us know in the comments and we'll help you out.

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