Apple will implement new child safety features as part of its upcoming iOS 27 update.
According to a company press release, creating child accounts — which are required for kids under 13 and optional for those up to 18 — will become an easier process as part of this rollout. This allows for parents to plant safeguards around their child’s device usage, including limiting access to adult websites; only allowing age-appropriate media; and setting age-based restrictions in the app store.
Parents will also be able to choose exactly which apps their kids can see on their device, and require their kids to request their approval to download apps — whether free or paid — with the “Ask to Buy” feature. The same goes for with whom the child communicates with: Parental approval can be required for new contacts across apps such as Messages, FaceTime and phone.
Nudity detected within messages and FaceTime will continue to be blocked for those under 18; iOS 27 adds gore and violent content to the mix as well.
Content management isn’t the iOS’s only capability: Parents will be able to set time allowances for their kids, too, dictating how long they spend on social media, playing games and consume entertainment.
“Parents can easily make adjustments to their kids’ access to apps and the web in the moment, with just a tap,” the press release reads. “For example, to help protect important family moments, parents can quickly limit access during meals, outdoor play, and other times that deserve full attention.
“If kids need a little extra time to finish something in an app, parents can also easily extend access.”
Such child protection safety measures taken by Apple are, for many, long overdue: Child safety advocate and founder and CEO of Heat Initiative, Sarah Gardner, tells Wired that this move is “a huge win” for concerned parents.
“Apple, as a company, tried to ignore for a long time that they were a part of a child’s only experience at all,” Gardner says. “Echoes of ‘we’re just hardware’ come to mind with I think of Apple’s approach to child safety.”
The beta version of iOS 27 is currently available for those looking to test it out. Its final, full release is scheduled for September.
Apple has launched a dedicated website for parents looking for more information at this link.
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