How to Fix Parental Controls for an OS X

Apple's OS X operating system, features parental controls that allow aspects of the operating system to be hidden from younger users. For instance, the OS X parental controls can provide a younger user a simpler version of Finder by hiding the important operating system files and showing only applications, hide profanity in the dictionary, restrict access to child-unfriendly websites in Safari and put time limits on the computer's operation. A system glitch or preference change may alter these parental controls, and parents should periodically view their settings to fix any mistakes.

Instructions

1. Click on the Apple in the system toolbar and select the "System Preferences" option to load the preferences pane.

2. Click "Parental Controls." The button is located under the "System" tab and looks like the silhouette of an adult holding a child's hand in a yellow circle.

3. Click the padlock in the lower left corner of the window. The system will ask for you the administrator's username and password if you are not already logged in to the administrator's account.

4. Click on the name of the account of which you would like to fix the parental controls. Click the "Enable Parental Controls" button if the controls are not already enabled.

5. Navigate through the parental controls options via the tabs at the top of the window. Each aspect can be turned on or off, and its preferences customized in this pane.

6. Click the padlock in the lower left corner once you are done making changes to prevent any further changes, and close the Preferences window. OS X will automatically save any changes.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to turn off parental controls for any account, click on the gear in the lower left corner and choose "Turn off parental controls." This button will only be active if the administrator account has logged in.

• If you want to apply the same settings to multiple accounts, click the gear in the lower left corner and choose "Copy settings." Then, highlight the account to which you wish to apply the settings and choose the "Paste settings" option.

References

• Apple: Using Parental Controls to Set Safe Limits on an Account
• Apple Insider: Road to Mac OS X Leopard: Parental Controls and Directory Services
• The Apple Blog: Kid Proofing a Mac With Parental Controls