Apple makes dedicated child accounts the cornerstone of new safety features

Apple

Setting up a dedicated child account is now the single most important action parents can take to protect their kids online, according to a new suite of features previewed by Apple. The tech giant revealed that its upcoming fall software updates will place child accounts at the center of its ecosystem, using them to automatically trigger built-in, age-appropriate safeguards across entire devices.

The accounts are required for children under 13 and remain available for teenagers up to 18, acting as the foundation for a customized digital experience. This renewed focus on the child account comes as part of a broader background preview of Apple’s next-generation parental controls.

Once established, these child accounts automatically limit exposure to adult websites, restrict downloads to age-appropriate media, and enforce age-based boundaries within the App Store.

To ensure parents don't skip this crucial safeguard, Apple is integrating the creation process directly into the setup assistant of every new device. Parents will be guided through a highly simplified configuration that automatically recommends an essential set of kid-friendly apps based on the child's exact age.

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