What is Screen Time?
Apple's Screen Time is a great built-in tool that allows you to monitor usage, schedule downtime and set limits on a Mac device.
You can use Screen Time to see how much time you and your children spend on apps, websites and more, so you can make informed decisions about how you use your devices and set limits if you'd like to.
It can be a great tool to help your child focus on important tasks or work, both in the classroom and at home.
For example, Screen Time can be used to limit the time spent on social apps and websites, such as Instagram and FaceBook; set a schedule for time away from the screen; and block access to adult content, apps and specific websites.
Using Screen Time
This guide is intended to provide a brief overview of several the Screen Time features we highly recommend configuring on your child's device.
Apple provides an extensive how-to guide on setting up and configuring Screen Time for a child Mac device, which includes articles on the different Screen Time features and how to configure them. Please refer to Set up Screen Time for a child on Mac - Apple Support (AU) if you would like step-by-step instructions on setting up Screen Time.
Screen Time Passcode
After enabling Screen Time on your child's device, we highly recommend setting a Screen Time passcode that only you know. This passcode will prevent your child from changing Screen Time settings, disabling a downtime schedule, or removing limits from apps and websites.
Downtime schedule
Downtime allows you to create a schedule for time away from a device screen, which may help children who struggle with being on their device too long. During downtime, the device provides a message stating it is in scheduled downtime, with an option to request for more time from you.
App Limits
App limits is a great way of setting time limits for specific apps and websites. Rather than having to choose individual apps, Screen Time can automatically group apps of a similar type into categories: for example, Messages, Instagram and Facebook all fall under the Social category, so you can easily apply a limit to all 3 apps at once. Additionally, you can choose to add limits to websites your child has visited and even enter custom website URLs: many social media apps can also be accessed using a web browser, so it is a good idea to make sure you apply a limit to both the app and website.
Content & Privacy
You can set restrictions for web content, purchases, apps and more using Content & Privacy, which allows you to customise the access level and scope for different types of content. In particular, Web Content is an effective tool of restricting access to both adult websites and websites of your choosing: changing the access level to 'Limit Adult Websites' gives you the option to either allow or restrict specific websites with this restriction.
Screen Time on iPhone and iPad
There's a good chance your child also has a modern smartphone device, which can access many of the same apps and content they can on their Mac.
Fortunately, Screen Time is not only limited to a Mac device. Many of the same monitoring and restriction features are offered on iPhone and iPad devices, and the process to enable and configure Screen Time is similar.
If you'd like to learn more, please visit Use Screen Time on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch - Apple Support (AU).