macOS Ventura 13 privacy guide

Manage location

To help enhance your child’s safety, macOS Ventura’s location tracking can be turned off for system and apps.

To choose which apps and system services can use Location Services:

Step 1 – Choose the Apple icon on the menu and go to the System Settings. Then, click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.

Step 2 – Toggle Location Services on or off for each app that you would like to restrict or grant access.

If you turn off this setting on an app, the next time it tries to get your location, it will prompt your child to turn it back on. Therefore, it’s important to talk to your child about this control and its importance.

Set up malware protection

Any device that connects to the internet runs the risk of malware. On a Mac, there are some built-in features to help limit this risk.

To protect the system from malware:

Step 1  – Go to the Systems Settings menu > Allow application downloaded from.

Step 2 –  Under App store, select Allow only apps that have been downloaded from the App Store.

Step 3 – Under App Store and identified developers, choose Allow apps only from App Store and from developers identified by Apple.

This will prevent automatic downloads, including those that contain malware.

Manage privacy settings

Within Ventura and Screen Time, you can easily restrict explicit content, purchases, downloads and privacy settings.

To turn privacy settings on:

Step 1 – Select the Apple icon in the menu and click on the Screen Time icon in the sidebar.

Step 2 – If you are using Family Sharing, select the Family Member pop-up menu on the right and then choose the family member.

Step 3 – Select Content & Privacy. If it’s off, turn it on.

Set content restrictions

With Ventura, you can limit adult and other inappropriate content in various areas.

To restrict web content:

Step 1 – Log into the relevant user account or go through Family Sharing and choose the relevant family member.

Step 2 – Click the Apple icon and select Screen Time.

Step 3 – Go to Web content > Limit Adult Websites. Or you can choose Allow Websites Only and then create a custom list for your child of allowed websites.

To set restrictions with Siri:

Step 1 – Within Screen Time, go to Siri.

Step 2 – Toggle the following options off:

• Explicit language in Siri and Dictionary
• Web Search Content Siri

To set restrictions within the Game Centre:

Step 1 – Within Screen Time, go to Game Centre.

Step 2 – Review and turn off the following options to restrict access:

• Adding Friends
• Connect and Friends
• Private Messaging
• Avatar & Nickname Changes
• Profile Privacy Changes

To manage multiplayer games:

Step 1 – From Screen Time, go to this option to choose who your child can play with in the Game Centre. You can choose from the following options:

• Allow multiplayer games with – Select Only friends added to their Game Centre account.
• Allow Nearby Multiplayer – If you switch this on, your child will be able to play with players who are connected to the same Wi-Fi or Bluetooth range.

Manage spending

With Screen Time on macOS Ventura, you can restrict films, TV programmes and app purchases.

To restrict spending and store options on Mac:

Step 1 – Choose the Apple icon and select System Settings > Screen Time > Store Restrictions.

Step 2 – Review the options and decide which you’d like to turn on or off. They fall under the categories of:

• Allowed Content
• Allowed on iOS
• Password & Security

Restrict preference changes

If you’ve had conversations about controls with your child but still worry they’ll try to find workarounds, Apple have given you the option to lock these settings.

To lock preference changes:

Step 1 – From the Screen Time menu, select Preference Restrictions.

Step 2 – Review and turn the options available on or off. These are the options available across Apple devices:

• Passcode
• Account
• Mobile Data
• Driving Focus
• TV Provider
• Background App Activity

If an option is turned off, the Screen Time passcode is required to make a change.