A new Apple update lets parents adjust account ages and better control what data is shared with app developers. The updates follow growing pressure on tech companies to strengthen online safety measures for minors.
Apple’s new child-safety measures will directly affect the way the accounts of minors are set up and what they can see across the App Store. The changes, detailed in a “Helping Protect Kids Online” white paper on Apple’s developer website, highlight how the company is taking steps to better protect young people online. It’s part of a broader effort to minimize data collection and give parents more control over what’s shared with app developers, the company said.
The changes also come amid mounting pressure on tech companies to improve platform safety, as many US states grapple with evolving age-verification requirements for social-media platforms. Lawmakers in a handful of states have proposed bills requiring app stores to prove children’s ages through official identification or receiving parental consent.
In the white paper, Apple said plans to increase its child-safety precautions by streamlining the setup of a child’s account with appropriate default settings for children under 13.
The company is adding what it calls “age assurance tools,” such as the ability for parents to update their child’s account age if they previously set it incorrectly. There’s also an option for parents to consent to share their child’s age range with app developers so they’ll be shown more age-appropriate content in the App Store, but without disclosing exact birth dates or sensitive information.
“With this new feature, parents will be even more firmly in the driver’s seat – and developers will have another way to help identify and keep kids safe in their apps,” the company said in the white paper.
Other updates include more granular app age ratings in the App Store and expanded product page details to help parents make informed decisions about app downloads. The app ratings options will move from four thresholds – two of which are for teens – to three rating groups for adolescents: 13+, 16+ and 18+. “This will allow users a more granular understanding of an app’s appropriateness, and developers a more precise way to rate their apps,” Apple said in the paper.
By offering a more streamlined process, Apple’s new initiatives provide parents with the tools to set up controls and safety features accordingly, while apps developers can better target and deliver age-appropriate content, which will result in children’s online activities and experiences being managed more effectively and safely. This move from Apple is a significant initiative that will hopefully be the catalyst for others in the tech industry to follow in the drive towards safeguarding children, and users in general, online.”
For years, Apple has supported specialized Apple accounts for kids called Child Accounts that enable parents to manage the many parental controls offered, and help provide an age-appropriate experience for children under the age of 13. To help more parents take full advantage of Child Accounts and parental controls, Apple is making two important changes.
First: They are introducing a new set-up process that will streamline the steps parents need to take to set up a Child Account for a kid in their family. And if parents prefer to wait until later to finish setting up a Child Account, child-appropriate default settings will still be enabled on the device. This way, a child can immediately begin to use their iPhone or iPad safely, and parents can be assured that child safety features will be active in the meantime. This means even more kids will end up using devices configured to maximize child safety with parental controls.
Second: Starting later this year, parents will be able to easily correct the age that is associated with their kid’s account if they previously did not set it up correctly. Once they do, parents of kids under 13 will be prompted to connect their kid’s account to their family group (if they’re not already connected), the account will be converted to a Child Account, and parents will be able to utilize Apple’s parental control options with Apple’s default age-appropriate settings applied as a backstop.
Apples new protection
https://developer.apple.com/support/downloads/Helping-Protect-Kids-Online-2025.pdf
Utah becomes the first state to pass an app store age verification bill
https://www.theverge.com/news/624981/utah-app-store-age-verification-bill
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