New Delhi: Apple has introduced a suite of updated child safety features, including one that will give parents more control over who their kids can communicate with. The features are set to arrive with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura 16, watchOS 16, visionOS 16, and tvOS 16, which will launch this fall.
Children will now be required to obtain parental approval before communicating with a new phone number. Requests will appear in the Messages app, and parents can tap a button to approve or decline. Apple is also launching a “PermissionKit” that will let developers integrate a similar feature into their apps, allowing kids to send requests to their parents to chat, follow, or friend users.
The company’s parental controls automatically enforce protections, such as web content filters and app restrictions, for kids under 13. Apple will also enable similar age-appropriate protections for kids between the ages of 13 and 17. Apple’s Communication Safety tool is being updated to intervene when it detects nudity in FaceTime calls and to blur nudity in shared albums in the Photos app, the company says. App Store age ratings will also expand to include more granular categories, including 13 plus, 16 plus, and 18 plus.
Additionally, Apple will let parents share a child’s age range with apps, the company says, without disclosing their specific date of birth. Developers can request age range information with a new Declared Age Range API.
Companies like Meta, Snap, and X, along with a coalition of adult content companies, have advocated for legislation that would require app store operators to verify their users’ age. This requirement, which Apple has pushed back on due to privacy concerns, is a key aspect of the proposed legislation. Utah and Texas have already passed app store age verification bills. Apple previewed some of the new features in today’s press release, citing a white paper from earlier this year.
