The MacBook Neo has a ton of child and teen safety tools: How to set them up

Apple's budget MacBook Neo is becoming a go-to laptop for kids and early education. Social media videos show parents trekking to the Apple Store to pick one out in their child's favorite color. Meanwhile, K-12 school districts are swapping Neos for clunky old Chromebooks and Windows PCs in droves.

As Mashable's resident laptop expert, I personally endorse the MacBook Neo as a great choice for youngsters. It's affordable, well-made, powerful enough for any basic task, and small enough to fit in a backpack. The fact that it comes in fun colors doesn't hurt, either. (I'm partial to blush and citrus.)

If you recently purchased a MacBook Neo for your own kid (or any MacBook, for that matter), then you should know that Apple rolled out new child safety tools with the launch of MacOS 26 in September, including upgrades to its existing parental controls.

So, learn how to set up parental controls on a MacBook Neo.

1. Set up their Child Account

Apple's Child Accounts are mandatory for children under age 13 and available for those up to age 18.

To create an Apple account for your kid, you have to set up Family Sharing first. Once that's done, follow these steps:

• Go to the System Settings app on the MacBook Neo

• Click your name at the top of the sidebar (make sure you're logged into your own Apple account)

• Click Family > Set Up Family. In the pop-up window, click the button that says, "Create Child Account"

You'll be asked to enter your child's name and birthday before agreeing to some terms and conditions. Apple needs their birthday to determine what kind of content they can access.

You'll then create an iCloud email address for your kid and choose a password for it.

2. Turn on Ask to Buy

As soon as you create your child's Apple account, you'll be asked if you want to turn on Ask to Buy, a feature that lets them request your permission to download or buy an app.

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If you don't enable this one right away at setup, you can turn it on later by going to System Settings > Family > [your child's name] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Ask to Buy > Require Purchase Approval.

3. Turn on Find My

MacOS will also ask you if you want to turn on Find My when you create your child's account. Find My is Apple's built-in device tracking service, and countless toddlers already have water bottles and shoes outfitted with AirTags. With Find My on, you can locate missing water bottles in the Find My app on the MacBook Neo or at cloud.com/find. (Alternatively, you can see the location of a lost Neo if they leave it behind at school or on the bus.)

To set up Find My later, you first need to turn on Location Services. Go to System Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services, then hit the toggle at the top of the window.

In the same System Settings app, click the account name in the top-left corner of the window. Go to iCloud > See All > Find My Mac to turn on the feature. If you see a little yellow triangle next to the green Find My icon, that means you haven't enabled Location Services yet.

4. Set screen time limits

Apple's Screen Time tool lets you control when and how long your child has access to their MacBook Neo. To set a Screen Time schedule, go to System Settings > Screen Time and hit the toggle for Schedule. You can choose specific days and time windows.

You can set a four-digit passcode to make sure your child can't change their screen time limits by going to System Settings > Screen Time > Change Passcode, then verifying your identity. If your child manages to figure out the code, you can change it anytime.

5. Set Time Allowances for apps and games

A new Time Allowances feature within the Screen Time tool lets you set daily limits for your child's app usage. Go to System Settings > Screen Time > Time Allowances > Manage Categories to choose how much time they can spend per app type (Entertainment, Games, and Social Media).

6. Turn on Ask to Browse

Ask to Browse is another new tool that lets you manually block access to websites. (It's on by default if your child is under 13 years old.) You'll find it via System Settings > Family > [your child's name] > Apps & Websites > Restrictions > Filtering. Your child can request your permission to visit sites that aren't on your "Approved" list.

7. Choose which contacts they can communicate with (and when)

You may want to let your child message or FaceTime certain friends or family members from their MacBook Neo. To do this, head to System Settings > Family > [your child's name] > Allowed Contacts. There, you can manage their contacts yourself or give them the option of sending you new contact requests. You can also choose who they can communicate with outside or during their Screen Time hours (i.e., you might want to make sure they can reach you anytime in case of emergencies).

8. Turn on Communication Safety

Communication Safety is an AI tool that automatically blurs inappropriate content and repeatedly warns your child before they view or send it. (As of September 2026, that includes nudity, gore, and violence.) If your child is under 13, they won't be able to view the content unless you enter your Screen Time passcode first.

Communication Safety works on Messages, Contact Posters, shared photo albums, and in certain third-party apps. You can turn it on by going to System Settings > Screen Time > [select your child's name] > Communication Safety.