Apple’s efforts to expand parental controls are a good start, and legally required soon. Like all safety systems, it’s only as strong as its weakest link.
On Monday, Apple spent 30 minutes of the WWDC 2026 discussing its latest updates to Child Accounts. These updates are designed to make using iPhone, iPad, and Mac safer for users under 18.
But how good are these features, really? Let’s break down what each one is, how it works, and why a lot of it ultimately doesn’t matter.
Communication Safety now blocks violence and gore blocking
Communication Safety was introduced in iOS 15.2 to protect children from viewing or sending images containing nudity. Communication Safety is enabled by default for all accounts under 18.
However, at some point, Apple realized that nudity isn’t the only kind of harmful content minors can be exposed to. That’s why, in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 27, Messages will also block images and videos depicting gore and violence.
A new safety warning pops up for violence and gore in iOS 27
The feature works across multiple Apple device features, including Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters, FaceTime calls and video messages, shared photo albums, and some third-party apps.
When sensitive content is detected, Communication Safety blurs the photo or video before the child can view or send it. It also presents multiple interventions before viewing or sending potentially illicit content.
If a child account is registered to a user under 13 with a Screen Time password enabled, the child will be unable to view sensitive content without the family organizer’s express permission.
Personally, I think this is a fantastic place to start. As I’ve said before, I don’t have kids, but I certainly am not short on friends who do.
I suspect, however, that this feature may be somewhat limited. Many kids don’t communicate primarily through FaceTime or Messages; instead, they use social media platforms like Instagram or catch-all apps like Discord.
Apple does make some of these features available to third-party developers, which I’ll discuss more below, but there’s no guarantee they will choose to integrate them.
Better control over who kids talk to with Communication Limits
Previously, Communication Limits allowed parents to manage when kids could communicate with others via Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. This meant you didn’t need to worry about your kids staying up super late to text their friends on school nights.
Now, in iOS 27, Communications Limits will require parents to approve any new contacts added to a child’s account. This is infinitely better, because now parents know exactly who is in their child’s contact list without needing to actively go through their phone.
Ask to Browse
One of Apple’s more underrated features is Ask to Buy. It requires a family organizer to sign off on purchases made by a child’s account.
Apple introduced the predecessor to Ask to Buy in 2011, a 15-minute time limit between requiring another password entry after purchasing in-app purchases.
Then, in 2014, Apple officially launched Ask to Buy, which gave parents a way to approve or decline purchases via the Family Sharing section in Settings. It would receive a second update in 2022 with iOS 16.2, integrating requests into the Messages app, eliminating the need to check Settings first.
Ask to Browse will require parents to approve websites for children under 13, and optionally for children under 18
Now, Apple is taking it a step further with Ask to Browse, set to debut in iOS 27. Ask To Browse will alert parents via Messages when a child wants to view a new website and allow remote approval.
Honestly, it’s surprising that Apple took this long. The feature should, at the very least, have been introduced in 2022 alongside the Ask to Buy Messages integration.
A better Screen Time experience
This fall, iOS 27 and its iPad and Mac counterparts will get an overhauled Screen Time experience.
Time Allowances will give parents more flexibility over how kids spend time in apps across categories. These categories, for example, might include Entertainment, Games, and Social Media.
Expanded Time Allowance controls make it easier to set up healthy screen time limits
Parents can set an overall time limit, such as two hours, for a child’s screen time. Then they can further customize how much time a child spends in each category, such as one hour on entertainment, half an hour on games, and half an hour on social media.
I like this quite a bit, especially because the interface is large and not intimidating, suggesting that it would be pretty easy to use for nearly anyone. It’s even better because it utilizes expert research to suggest appropriate screen time limits.
Help for parents, too (but only sort of)
One of the other things Apple mentioned was a brand new Child Safety guidance website. The website, which is live now, serves as a quick primer on all the safety features available to parents.
I’m putting extra emphasis on quick, by the way. It really doesn’t explain anything more than, say, any other Apple feature page.
Sure, it explains which features exist and which are coming soon, but that’s about it. There isn’t much information about what is inside the apps, what steps you’ll be expected to take, or why Apple suggests them.
Instead, it tells you that you can enable Find My on the Apple Watch for a child account. It tells you that Screen Time is a thing, sure, but not how to use it.
If I were in charge of the website, and I’m not, I would have, at the very least, linked out to the Apple User Guide or Support pages for each feature. At least then, a parent could know where to find each feature and how to customize it for their child.
Developers can participate, but don’t have to
To Apple’s credit, it’s trying to make it easier for developers to incorporate these safety features into their own apps.
For example, Apple offers the ScreenTime Framework to developers, giving them the tools to help parents supervise how much time their children spend in the app.
PermissionsKit, Apple’s developer framework that powers this process, allows third-party app developers to utilize the same Communication Limits Apple uses in FaceTime and Messages.
I think this could be huge for apps like Discord or Instagram. Whether those developers choose to do so is another matter entirely.
Communication Limits, used here in Messages, can be integrated into third-party apps via PermissionsKit
The SensitiveContentAnalysis framework helps check for and blur nudity in third-party apps. This feature should probably be utilized by apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Discord as soon as possible.
Again, these are opt-in features made available to developers. Because there is no requirement to utilize them, certain apps will likely still pose a risk to minors.
It’s a good start, but it’s not there yet
One of the bigger problems with these safety features is that many are opt-in. A safety net only works if it’s being used.
Child Accounts for users under 13 automatically enable additional protections, such as Communication Safety, Ask to Buy, and Sensitive Content Warnings. When it launches in the fall, Ask to Browse will also be enabled for users 12 and under.
In iOS 27, Communication Safety will also be automatically enabled for users aged 13 through 17. This is a solid move, especially knowing that a significant portion of CSAM is actually self-generated or otherwise passed around by minors themselves.
But things like Ask to Browse and Ask to Buy are opt-in for children aged 13 and older. While there is a reasonable expectation that, say, a 17-year-old could deduce whether they should visit a website, I’m not sure the same logic applies to a 13-year-old.
Screen Time limits, which can be used to limit a young person’s exposure to social media, are currently opt-in, regardless of the child’s age. And not only is it opt-in, but it also requires a family organizer to sit down and undergo a not-insubstantial setup process.
That’s a big ask for some people. Doubly so if the parents aren’t aware of these features in the first place, or aren’t entirely sure how they work.
I don’t know how to make this situation better. Apple isn’t responsible for what third-party developers make available, and a parent may not realize the dangers of social media or instant messaging apps.
It’s certainly not illegal for a 13-year-old to have an Instagram account. What they come across on it isn’t Apple’s responsibility; it’s Meta’s.
Perhaps the answer is a more robust setup process for child accounts. Make parents opt out of features like Ask to Browse and Ask to Buy for all minors, rather than opt in.
We won’t know exactly how many of these features work until they’re fully implemented in the public releases. Child accounts under 13 are not eligible to participate in Apple’s beta tests.
Hopefully, though, they are at least another tool parents can utilize. Lord knows they need all the tools they can get.
Parenting isn’t easy, and the omnipresent internet certainly hasn’t made it easier. I suspect this will be an eternally ongoing process, and unfortunately, until we find the gaps in the current system, we may not know what is causing harm.
As always, my advice, and the advice of AppleInsider, is as follows: If you know someone who isn’t particularly tech-savvy, take the time to offer help.
If you know a parent who is getting their kid their first iPhone, offer to show them how to set it up safely. And if you are a parent, I personally suggest having an open, honest dialogue with your kids about how to stay safe online.
