Apple Redesigns Screen Time With New Child Contact and Content Controls

Apple announced an overhaul to its Screen Time parental control tool at its annual developers conference. The changes aim to improve safeguarding features for children who use iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. The new features arrive with iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27.

Parents and guardians gain additional controls over who their children can contact in Messages and which content or apps the children can access. The redesign introduces suggested time allowances for app categories including Entertainment, Games, and Social Media.

These recommendations draw from guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Apple is also introducing a new Ask to Browse feature for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that requires children to ask for parental permission to access new websites in Safari. Parents can also manage who their children are connecting with over the Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps, requiring their approval before kids can communicate with new contacts.

Apple’s Communication Safety feature, which blurs nudity in Messages and FaceTime calls, has been expanded to block any gore or violent content it detects in images and videos that are shared with minors.

The updated system supplies category-specific allowances based on expert recommendations. While parents could already set time limits on individual apps before the redesign, the new Screen Time redesign provides suggested time allowances that are specific to app categories.

Apple states that the suggested allowances provide a helpful starting point for parents and can be adjusted as needed. The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that children under 13 should not have access to social media apps.

To assist parents with implementing these features, Apple has launched a dedicated website with guides on setting up Child Accounts, helpful resources, and answers to frequently asked questions about parental controls and safety features. The redesigned Screen Time experience will provide parents with a better overview of their children’s most-used apps and average device usage, and allow them to adjust app and web access with just a tap.

“We’re giving parents powerful, easy-to-use tools to help manage what kids can see, who they can talk to, and when they have access.”

The new parental control features announced today will be available when the Screen Time update launches in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 later this year.