Apple Faces Heat on Child Safety Features

Apple is introducing new child safety features later this fall, a significant shift from its prior reluctance to engage with online child safety concerns. Activist Sarah Gardner, founder of Heat Initiative, highlighted that Apple dedicated a notable portion of its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote to these upcoming protections, a development that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Gardner, who has protested outside Apple Park multiple times, stated that Apple historically avoided discussions about its role in children's online experiences.

While Gardner believes the new features in iOS 27 are not revolutionary, she acknowledges them as a positive advancement. External pressures, including lawsuits alleging business practices that may safeguard child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and continuous advocacy efforts, have reportedly pushed Apple to confront child safety issues. Notably, Apple is facing a lawsuit from West Virginia concerning CSAM. Previously, Apple's attempt to introduce a photo-scanning tool for CSAM detection on iCloud faced criticism for potential surveillance overreach, leading to its discontinuation.

The upcoming updates will revamp the onboarding process for child accounts, making setup around six minutes. New features include limiting adult websites, curating age-appropriate media, and implementing age-based App Store restrictions. The 'Ask to Browse' feature in Safari will require parental permission for children to visit new websites, mirroring the 'Ask to Buy' function for app installations. Additionally, 'Approve New Contacts' will necessitate parental consent for children to save or communicate with new contacts.

Communication Safety is being expanded beyond nudity to include gore or graphic violent content across various platforms like Messages, FaceTime, and AirDrop, and will also function in Shared Photo Albums, Contact Posters, and the Contacts app. These updates are part of Apple's commitment to providing industry-leading tools that balance child safety with user privacy. Time Allowances will offer suggestions for app usage based on age, with customizable schedules and the ability for parents to pause device access remotely. User reporting tools for CSAM and other inappropriate material are also being enhanced, initially launching in Australia, Brazil, the US, and the UK.