Apple parental controls in iOS 27 let kids ask before opening new websites
Apple has introduced new parental control features in iOS 27, including 'Ask to Browse,' which requires parental approval for children to access new websites. The update also features a new time-management system that allows parents to set daily budgets across specific app categories.
Why it matters
These updates represent a significant shift in how major tech platforms manage digital safety and autonomy for minors, reflecting growing regulatory and social pressure.
Apple parental controls in iOS 27 let kids ask before opening new websites Apple has overhauled the child-safety tools that ship across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. One idea runs through the redesign. Give a child a device that does very little, then open it up as they’re ready. The tools went live on September 14, after a preview in June, and they require iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27.
Everything hangs off the Child Account, set up through Family Sharing. It’s mandatory for children under 13 and available up to 18, and it’s what switches on the age-based protections across the system. Apple’s pitch is that without one, none of the rest applies. A kid signed into a hand-me-down device under someone else’s Apple Account gets none of these protections.
Also covering this story
10 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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