Apple is rolling out a major update to its child safety features, giving parents more tools to manage what their children can access on iPhone, iPad and Mac, as announced at WWDC just now.
The new features build on Apple’s existing Child Accounts, which automatically enable age-based protections, parental controls and content restrictions for younger users.
One of the biggest additions is a new feature called Ask to Browse. Similar to Ask to Buy for app downloads, children can be required to request permission before visiting a new website in Safari. Parents receive the request and can review the website before deciding whether to allow access.
Apple is also expanding controls over who children can communicate with. Parents can require approval before their child adds a new contact, allowing them to gradually expand communication beyond immediate family members.
Communication Safety is receiving an upgrade as well. The feature already warns children about images and videos that may contain nudity and blurs sensitive content. Apple says it will now also detect and intervene when shared photos or videos may contain graphic violence or gore.
Screen Time is also getting a significant redesign. Parents will now see recommended daily time limits for categories such as entertainment, gaming and social media. The recommendations are based on a child’s age and were developed with input from child development experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Apple says parents remain in control and can adjust or ignore the recommendations at any time.
New scheduling tools will let parents choose which apps are available at different times of the day. For example, educational apps can remain available during school hours while entertainment and gaming apps are restricted until later.
The company also highlighted new tools for app developers. These include APIs that help developers create age-appropriate experiences and a privacy-focused Declared Age Range API that lets apps tailor content based on broad age ranges rather than a child’s exact age.
Apple said the new features are designed to help families create healthier digital habits while giving parents more control over their children’s online experiences.
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