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Digital Health: Managing Screen Time on Your MacBook

Apple Screen Time is an app built in the macOS environment. Its goal is to help you manage the time spent on your computer. The app is programmed to show the total time spent on websites, apps, streaming, and more. Once you get an idea of your screen time, you can set it to control usage.

It lets you set limits and restrictions for usage. Parents get reports about the total time their kids spend on Mac. They can set controls for each kid depending on their age and interests. MacOS Screen Time app allows sharing in households. Here are different ways to manage the app on Mac.

Setting up Screen Time on macOS

Before you begin to manage the Screen Time app, set it up first. The process takes a few minutes.

●      Open the Apple menu on your Mac screen.

●      Open the System Settings app to access Screen Time.

●      Select the different activities you want to manage. For instance, select Apps, Website Activity, shared Devices, and more.

●      Set Family Sharing, Downtime, limits, screen distance, and communication limits.

●      You may set them to be on always or for specified slots

The easiest way to launch the Screen Time app is to use the Mac Finder. This is the default app for searching and launching other applications. It is easy to search on MacBook to find applications.

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Get to know how to search on Mac using the different methods available. You can also launch the app under your System Preferences. Under this field, click on the Screen Time icon. The app will start tracking your Mac usage the moment you turn it on.

How to Turn Off Screen Time

You can turn off the screen time app depending on your preferences.  On your Mac screen, open the Apple menu. Open the System Preferences app. You can also open it from the Dock in the apps folder. Open Screen Time and then select the Options app. Click the Turn Off icon to turn off the app.

Take Advantage of the Built-In Features

Apple updates macOS to add more built-in features. These features help you manage screen time on a Mac. The following built-in features help you manage this app. Use the limit feature to set app limits. If you spend more time on an app, you can limit usage by fixing specific slots.

Another useful feature is Downtime. It lets you schedule to block some applications. For instance, you might want to block social media apps to allow you to focus on other apps. This app also features the usage report system. It generates detailed reports on your app usage behavior.

Set Apple Parental Controls

The screen time app lets you set Apple parental controls for kids and family members. Open the System Preferences icon and scroll down to find it.

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Set each child or family member as a user. Turn on the app for each user and set customized limits for them. For instance, set limits for games, apps, and networking platforms.

Choose the allowed apps for each account. You can also set Content and Privacy Restrictions in the same field. If you want to share some apps, set up Family Sharing under System Preferences. You can add family members and allow remote screen time management.

Schedule Breaks and Integrate Apps

Screen time lets you schedule breaks at specific intervals. You may allow your breaks to run after 15 to 30 minutes. When this period lapses, Mac lets you take a 5-minute break. The goal of taking breaks is to improve the health of your eyes and brain. This app also lets you add more apps to the macOS system.

You can add BreakTimer to remind you to take breaks. F.lux automatically controls brightness. Bark monitors your child’s behavior with macOS apps. You can tell if the child is watching adult content, being bullied, or is suffering from depression. Do Bark app evaluation to know what other users are saying.

Set Up Displays and the 20-20-20 Rule

Set screen time to adjust brightness automatically. It does this based on the light intensity in the room. This helps minimize the strain on your eyes. Open System Preferences and scroll to Displays to customize these settings. The app lets you set the 20-20-20 rule. It lets you take a 20-second break after every 20 minutes of screen time. During these 20 seconds, you must look at something at least 20 feet away. This helps retain a healthy retina.

Conclusion

Your health is important but can be affected by your Mac usage. Desire to control the time by managing the macOS Screen Time well. You can use the Apple parental controls to set restrictions for your kids. Set limits for yourself and include breaks and access to some apps. You can even set the distance between yourself and the Mac screen. Using these features improves your health. For easy access to these settings on different devices, you can generate a QR code using Adobe Express