Apple expands child safety tools as social media bans grow – The Mercury News | #childsafety | #kids | #chldern | #parents | #schoolsafey

By Newley Purnell, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. is expanding tools for parents to protect children online, a move that comes as governments around the world are increasingly banning social media for young people.

The iPhone and iPad maker at its Worldwide Developers Conference Monday previewed new features that give parents greater control over when their children can use apps, what content they can access and with whom they can communicate on devices.

Tech companies are under growing pressure to limit children’s exposure to social media, which some psychologists have linked to mental health risks such as cyberbullying, eating disorders and suicide. Apple already lets parents create special accounts for children under 18, and they are required for those under 13 years old.

The updates are designed to help families “thoughtfully establish age-based protections and develop healthy digital habits,” Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of health and fitness, said on the Cupertino, California-based company’s website.

Beginning with software updates this fall, parents will be able to use children’s account features to pick which apps they can use and control which websites they can view, for example.