Apple first previewed a new set of child safety features at WWDC in June, and parents can now start using them with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. The update gives families more control over which apps children can access, what websites they can visit, who they can communicate with, and how much time they spend in certain app categories.
Apple is also changing Screen Time to make those controls easier to manage. Parents get a clearer view of device usage, quicker access to restrictions, and age-based guidance for setting limits across categories such as Games, Social Media, and Entertainment.
Apple is giving parents more say before kids open apps and websites
Setting up a new child account now starts with a recommended collection of essential apps. Parents can decide what else becomes available later instead of opening up the entire device from the beginning. Ask to Browse adds a similar layer of approval to Safari. Parents can require permission before a child visits a new website, extending the same basic idea behind Ask to Buy, which already handles app downloads and purchases.
Communication Safety now covers more types of harmful content, including gore and violent images or videos alongside nudity, and it can also intervene during live FaceTime calls.
What is changing with Screen Time?
Apple has redesigned Screen Time to give parents a quicker look at usage and make access controls easier to change in the moment. Time Allowance is another interesting feature that arrives with the latest update that provides age-based starting points for daily limits across Social Media, Entertainment, and Games.
Apple developed the guidance with input from health and child-development experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, although parents remain free to change those limits based on what works for their family.
One requirement is worth keeping in mind. Every device in a Family Sharing group needs to be updated to the latest Apple software before the new Screen Time experience will work across the family.