Stop strangers messaging your child with Communication Limits

Why it happens

Anyone who knows your child's phone number or email address can reach them in Messages and FaceTime. Communication Limits checks each call and message against your child's contacts, with one rule for allowed screen time and one for Downtime. Your child can still send you a request to talk to someone new, and you decide.

How to fix it

1. Make sure Screen Time is set up for your child, either on their own Mac account or through Family Sharing. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Screen Time.

2. If you manage your child through Family Sharing, choose their name in the Family Member pop-up menu at the top. Then click Communication Limits. On macOS 27, open Family instead, pick your child, and click Allowed Contacts.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Time›Communication Limits

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Family›Allowed Contacts

3. Under During Screen Time, choose Contacts Only. Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact also lets them join group chats that include someone they know.

4. Under During Downtime (called When Device Paused or Unavailable on macOS 27), choose Specific Contacts and pick the few people who should always be able to reach them, such as you.

5. If you see Allow Contact Editing, turn it off. That stops your child adding new people to their contacts without you.

6. Turn on Lock Screen Time Settings in Screen Time and pick a passcode your child doesn't know, so they can't change these rules.

   Screen Time›Lock Screen Time Settings

On macOS 26 this is Screen Time > Communication Limits, with the sections During Screen Time and During Downtime. On macOS 27 it moves to Family and is called Allowed Contacts, and the second section is called When Device Paused or Unavailable instead of During Downtime.

Still not fixed?

1. Limits not reaching your child's iPhone or iPad? Their devices need up-to-date software and Contacts turned on in iCloud before the rules apply there.

2. Messages and FaceTime are covered, but chat apps from other makers aren't. Set a limit on those apps in Screen Time with App Limits, or block them.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Time›App Limits›Add Limit

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Screen Time›App Limits›Add Limit…

3. Worried about pictures as well as people? Turn on Communication Safety for your child in the same place.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Time›Communication Safety

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Family›Communication Safety

4. Make sure your child's Mac account is a Standard user. Turn off Allow this user to administer this computer for them in Users & Groups, or they can change the rules.

   Users & Groups

5. If strangers still get through after the software is updated and iCloud Contacts is on, contact Apple Support.