Giving children a smartphone has become a necessity for many families today, but with it comes the worries of parents. It’s not easy to keep track of what kids are looking at on their phones, what apps they’re using and who they’re talking to. Keeping this issue in mind, Apple has made several changes related to parental control in iOS 27. Now parents can decide when setting up the phone which apps the child will be allowed to use and which tasks will require their approval.

What’s changed about child accounts in iOS 27?

iPhones can be set up for children through an Apple child account. The company makes the use of this type of account mandatory for children below 13 years of age. It can impose restrictions on websites, movies, music and apps according to the child’s age.

When setting up the phone, parents can choose essential apps, keep age-appropriate apps, or choose every app of their choice. There is also an option to remove some Apple apps from this list. Apart from this, parental approval may be required before downloading free and paid apps or making in-app purchases using the Ask to Buy feature.

Permission must also be sought before opening a new website.

The Ask to Browse feature in iOS 27 works on the Safari browser. Under this, when children under the age of 13 open a link to a new website, the first thing they see is a screen asking for permission. Parents are notified of the link, after which they can decide whether or not to allow their child to open the website. This feature is turned off by default for teens. However, parents can turn it on if they wish.

Adding new contacts will also be controlled

If kids want to add a new person’s number to the Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps, parental approval may be required. This can make it easier to monitor contacts with strangers. Additionally, the Communication Safety feature automatically obscures sensitive images for users under the age of 18. The new update also includes the ability to block sending and receiving violent and disturbing images and videos.

New options for screen time will be available

Apple has introduced time allowances to manage screen time. Through this, parents can set daily usage limits for different categories of apps like gaming, entertainment and social media. The company also offers timing-based suggestions based on the child’s age and expert research. Parents can modify it as needed.

Parental controls also have some limitations

Parents can see their child’s average screen time, block device use and set schedules through the Family section of Settings. There may also be an option to receive an alert when a passcode is entered.

However, these features do not work equally in every app. Some controls for Safari and other Apple apps will only be available in third-party apps if their developers support them. To take advantage of the new Screen Time features, it’s also important to update all devices in a family sharing group to the latest software.

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