New Apple Parental Controls: What's Changing

Apple announced new parental controls. Now before you keep scrolling, they finally fixed the thing where your kid figures out the screen time password, so stay with me. Here's what's new. First, expanded image filters. Child accounts already blur nude images, and it's turned on by default for users under 18, and now it will also intervene to block gore or violent content when detected in shared images or videos. So that it gets blurred before your child sees it. Second, Ask to Browse. There's a new feature called Ask to Browse, so the same way kids have to ask for permission to download a new app or make a purchase. Parents can also require kids to ask for permission before visiting a new website. Third, Approve New Contacts. Parents can now approve new contacts before the child starts communicating with them. This would be for FaceTime, phone, and messages. Fourth, Screen-time Updates. Screen time got a big overhaul. So instead of doing limits per app, you can do it based on category. So social media, games, school apps, and you can also adjust that based on days of the week and schedule it in advance. And back to the passcode thing. If someone enters the screen time passcode on their child's device, you will get an alert. I know that was one of the most common complaints I heard from parents, but none of this works unless you have a child account. And remember, parental controls help, but nothing can replace conversations where you teach your kids what to do if something weird happens on their device.