Parental Controls and the Safari Web Browser

Just getting your kids to brush their teeth can be difficult enough but keeping them safe from inappropriate content on the Internet can seem a Herculean task. That’s where the Safari Parental Controls come in handy.

This feature allows you to setup a managed account for your child so that they may only visit pre-approved websites. Here’s how to set up Parental Controls. First, go to Apple Menu → System Preferences → Accounts and select your child’s account. Then, click on the Parental Controls tab to see a list of available applications. Click the checkbox next to Safari and close the Accounts dialog.

Next, log off by going to Apple Menu → Log Out and then log into your child’s account. Open Safari and bookmark whatever sites you wish for your restricted list. You’ll be prompted for your admin password when doing this. Now you can log out of your child’s account and back into your own. Your child will not be able to bookmark or visit any site besides the ones you just added.

In addition to the Safari browser, you can turn on Parental Controls for Mail, Finder, iChat and more. This feature will be expanded in a future version to include controling the length of time your child may use the computer each day, as well as which hours of the day.