Apple Enhances Safety Features for Child Accounts in iOS 26 with New Tools

Apple is enhancing its parental control features in iOS 26 by simplifying the management of Child Accounts and improving privacy protections when sharing age information with apps. Though Apple offers robust parental controls, it has faced criticism for needing further improvements. The updates in iOS 26, as well as macOS 26 Tahoe and other operating systems, aim to address these concerns. To start, the setup of Child Accounts is being streamlined, making it easier for parents to utilize built-in parental controls.

When parents create an account for a child under 13, they will be prompted to connect it to their Family group. This process transforms the account into a Child Account, granting immediate access to parental controls. A notable privacy enhancement is the option for Child Accounts to share only an age range with apps, instead of a specific birth date. Parents will have control over this information on a per-app basis and can change their preferences at any time.

For older adolescents aged 13 to 17, Apple is implementing similar protections. Regardless of whether an account begins as a Child Account or an Apple Account, users in this demographic will benefit from age-appropriate web content filters and Communication Safety features. By the end of 2025, the App Store will expand age ratings to include three additional categories for adolescents: 13+, 16+, and 18+. Furthermore, parents will have new tools to authorize communications.

Children can request parental approval for new phone contacts, and parents can easily approve or deny these requests through Messages. Apple is also introducing a PermissionKit framework for developers to standardize permission requests across apps. To aid parents further, notifications will appear on the App Store to inform about user-generated content, messaging capabilities, and in-app content controls. Lastly, enhancements in Communication Safety will ensure interventions occur if nudity is detected during FaceTime calls and will blur inappropriate content in Shared Albums.