Apple has expanded its parental controls across iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, adding new default protections designed to reduce children’s exposure to explicit content and make settings harder to bypass.
The update builds on Apple’s Communication Safety feature, which uses on-device machine learning to detect nudity and blur images before they’re viewed. Apple says the detection happens on the device, and the company doesn’t receive the content unless a user chooses to report it.
What’s changing on iPhone and iPad
Apple’s biggest shift is expanding Communication Safety beyond Messages to include FaceTime video calls and Shared Albums in Photos. The settings are also being enabled by default for users aged 17 and under, according to The Australian.
On setup, Apple is also pushing harder for families to create Child Accounts. The process is now built into the device’s initial setup flow. The user is prompted to select an age range (child, teen, or adult) and guided to join a family group; safety settings are enabled even if setup is deferred.
Fixing the “hand-me-down” gap
Apple is targeting a common scenario in which a child inherits an older device that is still signed in to an adult account. A new prompt can suggest updating the date of birth when Screen Time protections indicate a minor is likely using the device, activating age-appropriate defaults without requiring a full reset.
More visibility for parents in Screen Time
Screen Time is also being updated to alert parents when a Screen Time passcode is entered on their child’s device, to prevent silent workarounds.
Apple is also tightening “Communication Limits” controls, including requiring children to request permission to message or call new numbers, which parents can approve inside Messages.
App Store changes and a new age-range tool for developers
Apple is further restricting how apps appear in the App Store based on age ratings and a family’s content settings, and expanding “Ask to Buy” so parents can grant exceptions when a child wants to download an app rated above the set restriction.
To balance age-appropriate experiences with privacy, Apple has introduced a Declared Age Range framework, allowing developers to request an age range without collecting a specific birth date.
Why it matters now
The updates come amid growing global pressure on platforms and device makers to improve online safety for children. In Australia, the federal government’s under-16 social media ban has forced platforms to implement tighter controls, while debate continues about the best path forward.
Education researcher Dr Jo Orlando, who has advised the federal government, told The Australian the ban has split parents, with many seeking practical guidance as technology and online risks evolve.
Snap pushes for app store-level age checks
Snap has reported locking or disabling more than 415,000 Australian accounts it believes belong to under-16s since the ban took effect in December, citing a mix of self-declared age and detection tools.
But Snap has also argued that age estimation is imperfect and that regulating only certain services can push teens toward less visible alternatives. The company says app store-level age verification would provide more consistent signals across the ecosystem.