Block bad sites
Block bad sites on your child's MacBook
Use macOS Screen Time to filter adult websites in every browser.
📌 Your child's MacBook, logged into THEIR Apple ID.
Do this, in order
- 1
Open System Settings → Screen Time
Click the Apple menu (top left) → System Settings → Screen Time. Turn it on for the child's account.
- 2
Set a Screen Time passcode
Click Options → Use Screen Time Passcode. Pick a 4-digit code your child does NOT know. Different from the login password.
- 3
Open Content & Privacy → Content Restrictions
Set Web Content to "Limit Adult Websites". Optionally add specific sites to always block.
- 4
Lock app installs and deletions
Under App Store & Media → Installing Apps: Don't Allow. Deleting Apps: Don't Allow.
- 5
Lock account and passcode changes
Under Allow Changes, set Account Changes and Passcode Changes to Don't Allow.
Now let's make sure it actually works
We don't tell you setup is complete until you've tested it with your own eyes.
1. Open a normal website
On the device you just set up, open a regular site like google.com or your local news. It should load normally.
2. Try a blocked test website
Now open this safe test URL — it's a harmless page that adult-content filters block. If your blocker is working, the page will NOT load (you'll see an error or a block screen).
Open test page →
Both tests didn't pass — what to try
Restart the device's Wi-Fi (off then on). On a phone, turn cellular data off so it has to use Wi-Fi. Then try the test again.
Both tests must pass before we mark this complete.
Honest limits — what this won't catch
No parental control catches everything. Here's what slips through, and what to do about it:
- If your child has a cellular data plan, blocks on your home Wi-Fi don't apply when they're not at home.
- If your child turns their phone into a hotspot, other devices using it skip your Wi-Fi filters.
- On a friend's Wi-Fi, your home filter does nothing.
- A VPN can hide their traffic from filters that only check websites by name.
- Installing a second browser can bypass a single-browser extension.