Apple offers us these tips for ensuring our kids have a safe and happy experience on the computer. With simple settings in Parental Controls preferences, you can manage, monitor, and control the time your kids spend on the Mac, the websites they visit, and the people they chat with.

Before you can set up parental controls

Add each child as a user of your computer, and turn on parental controls for the user.
Manage a user with parental controls

 

Limit apps a child can use

To limit which apps your child can use and specify the age rating for apps they can open from the App Store, click Apps in Parental Controls preferences.

The Apps pane of Parental Controls preferences

Set limits on App Store and other apps

 

Limit Internet access

To control which websites your child can visit using Safari, click Web in Parental Controls preferences.

The Web pane of Parental Controls preferences
Filter inappropriate Internet content

 

Limit Game Center, Messages, and Mail contacts

To control Game Center play and limit whom your child can exchange messages and email with, click People in Parental Controls preferences.

The People pane of Parental Controls preferences
Set limits on email

Set limits on Game Center

Set limits on instant messaging

 

Limit computer time

To regulate when your child can use the computer, click Time Limits in Parental Controls preferences.

The Time Limits Pane of Parental Controls preferences

Set time limits on computer use