Oliver Haslam on June 8, 2026, 8:58 pm

Apple Highlights New Child Safety Features For iOS 27 And Beyond

Apple has announced updated child safety and parental control features during its WWDC 2026 event. The new features will be part of its iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, and other software updates that will ship this fall.

Apple has long offered features designed to protect children from explicit content and allow parents to control which apps they use, and when. But this announcement expands on those features, while refreshing the Screen Time feature as a whole.

Child Apple Accounts are required for all children under 13, while they will also be available for anyone under 18. Parents will be guided through creating a new account or converting an existing account into a child’s account. This will be required for all of the other features to work.

Parents will be guided through choosing which apps their child can use, including the option to choose a curated set if they prefer. More apps and access can be granted later.

Building on an existing feature that allows children to request access to apps, Apple is expanding this to include websites. Ask to Browse will give parents the chance to preview a website before allowing access, and the feature will be available in Safari across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Apple has also added more controls over communication. Whenever a child tries to communicate with someone new, parents can require that they ask for approval. An expansion of the existing Communication Safety feature, which blurs nudity in Messages and FaceTime calls, will also include gore and violent content.

Finally, Apple is improving the way Screen Time schedules work.

Time Allowances will control how long apps and specific categories of apps can be used. Parents will also be able to choose which times of day apps are available, too.