Set up a Mac for your kid
Whether your child is getting their own Mac or sharing the family’s, set them up with their own user account and Apple Account so their apps and information stay separate from yours. If you use Family Sharing, you can manage Screen Time and parental controls for their account. On a shared Mac, you add a new user account for your child with their own Child Account.
Set up a new Mac for your child
Turn on your child’s Mac by opening the lid and holding down the power button.
Follow the onscreen instructions in Setup Assistant. Setup Assistant gets you up and running quickly by guiding you through the initial setup of your Mac, such as connecting to your Wi-Fi network, creating a Child Account if you haven’t already, and setting up parental controls.
For more information on setup, see Find the Getting Started guide for your Mac.
Set up a user account for your child on a shared family Mac
Go to the System Settings app on your Mac.
Click Users & Groups in the sidebar.
Click Add User on the right, then enter your administrator password when prompted.
Choose Standard from the New User (or New Account) pop-up menu.
Complete the name and password fields, then click Create User.
When done, restart your Mac or choose Log Out from the Apple menu.
At the login window, choose the new account you created, then log in with its name and password.
Follow the onscreen instructions to complete setup. When it asks you to use your Apple ID to sign in to your Apple Account, enter your child’s Apple Account information, not your own. For more information on creating a Child Account, see Create a Child Account for your kid’s Apple devices.
If both you and your child will use the same Mac, log out of your user account when you’re done. Your Mac offers several ways to quickly switch between users.
What’s next?
Get an overview of all the parental controls on your child’s device. See Explore parental controls on your kid’s device.