Short answer: give your child a Standard account, turn on Screen Time with a passcode only you know, and run Still Dock with the Dock locks on. Still Dock locks the Dock and stops Cmd Q from closing apps by a slip. The Standard account and the Screen Time passcode mean deleting Still Dock or changing Screen Time itself needs you.
Who does what
- Still Dock locks the Dock's size, position and contents, and stops Cmd Q quitting apps.
- Screen Time sets App Limits, Downtime and Content & Privacy restrictions, and keeps those settings behind a passcode.
- A Standard account needs an administrator name and password to delete apps you installed in the Applications folder, to install most new ones, and to unlock settings marked with a lock in System Settings.
None of these stops a child from choosing Quit Still Dock from the Still Dock menu, and a Standard user can still edit their own Login Items. What the Standard account and the Screen Time passcode do is keep the bigger changes, such as deleting Still Dock or turning Screen Time off, in your hands. For a Dock that stays fixed even when Still Dock is not running, use a configuration profile; see locking the Dock with a configuration profile.
Set up Screen Time
- If your child has their own Apple Account, add them to Family Sharing as a child. You can then manage Screen Time for them from your own Mac, iPhone or iPad.
- On a shared Mac with no Family Sharing, log in to your child's account first. Then open System Settings > Screen Time. The Family Member menu at the top appears only when you use Family Sharing; there you can pick your child.
- Turn on App & Website Activity first. The other Screen Time settings appear once it is on.
- Open Manage Screen Time, turn on Lock Screen Time Settings and choose a passcode. Do not reuse your child's login password.
- Open Content & Privacy and turn Content & Privacy on. Here you can limit websites, store purchases and app installs.
- Open App Limits to set daily time for apps or categories, and Always Allowed to choose the apps that stay available during Downtime. Add Still Dock to Always Allowed so Downtime does not block it.
Set up the account and Still Dock
- In System Settings > Users & Groups, make sure your child's account is a Standard user, not an administrator. Keep the administrator account for yourself.
- Install Still Dock from your administrator account so the app sits in the Applications folder.
- Sign in to your child's account, open Still Dock, and turn on the locks you want, including Stop Cmd Q quitting.
- In the Still Dock menu, tick Launch at Login, so Still Dock starts again after every restart.
- Turn on Touch ID or password approval in Still Dock, so turning a lock off at the Mac needs you.
To switch the locks from your phone, see locking a child's Mac Dock from your iPhone.
Common questions
Can my child still quit Still Dock?
Yes, from the Still Dock menu bar icon. Still Dock opens again at the next login if Launch at Login is ticked in the Still Dock menu. If you need the Dock fixed even while Still Dock is not running, install a configuration profile.
Does Screen Time stop Cmd Q?
No. Screen Time limits time, apps and content. Still Dock is what stops Cmd Q closing an app by a slip.
Do I need Family Sharing?
Only to manage Screen Time from your own devices. On a shared Mac without Family Sharing, log in to your child's account and set Screen Time there in System Settings.