Unlike previous versions of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where Apple announced new features separately by operating system, WWDC 2026 combined information to focus on three overall categories. Each category applied to all Apple products (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro) and was broken down based on performance improvements, trust and security, as well as Apple Intelligence and the new Siri. The second group, trust and safety, focused on child safety, with Apple introducing new parental controls that give parents more granular control over the technology experiences their children can have. The new child safety features will be available in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, and they could be particularly important for mobile devices, like iPhone and iPad, with which a child or teen is more likely to interact first.
These parental controls include better support for managing access to content as well as blocking content deemed inappropriate for children. Apple has also refined the Screen Time experience to give parents the ability to monitor the apps their children are using, set schedules that account for the need to use a device for educational purposes, and personalize access to apps. Apple has created a child safety website that explains the child safety features announced for iOS 27 and its other platforms, and as another helpful resource, Apple is working with the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has created a Family Media Plan to help parents develop safe technology habits for their children.
The child account
The child account is automatically applied to users under the age of 13 and can remain active for users up to 18 years old. Parents can also convert existing accounts created for younger iPhone users before the iOS 27 update to child accounts. This feature restricts content based on the child’s age, including apps, media, and App Store websites.
Once the child account is added to Family Sharing, parents will be able to monitor what their children are allowed to do on iPhones. Using the Setup Assistant feature, parents can set which apps children can access. They may want key communication apps, such as the Phone, Messages and Find My apps, to be active at all times, and after that, parents can add essential apps or approve a specific set. Over time, kids will discover new apps and games to install, and they can request permission to use them through the Messages app.
In addition to asking permission to install apps, kids will also need to ask permission to browse new websites and contact new people using the Ask to Browse and Ask to Approve features. Communications Security protections will continue to block nudity in Messages and FaceTime, but iOS 27 now also adds blood and violence blockers.
New Screen Time features
A new Screen Time feature is also added to the redesigned iOS 27 experience, allowing parents to fine-tune their children’s access to the device based on time and content type. The Screen Time feature allows parents to set a specific schedule on iPhone and iPad for when a child can use a device, and it even takes into account use of school-related devices. Children will only be able to use school-related apps during school hours if parents configure their devices that way. Other categories, like gaming and social, may be reserved for afternoons and weekends. Parents will be able to see exactly which apps their children have been using on their iPhone and give them the option to suspend access to the device completely.
Additionally, the Allotted Time feature allows parents to customize how long a child can use iPhone each day. The Time Allowances screen includes a recommended upper limit of three hours of access per day, which Apple considers a general guide for children’s use of the device. Parents can set a total device usage time for the child, but they can also choose more precise controls. For example, they may want to limit social media access to just a few minutes per day, while allowing more time for games or entertainment, categories also available in the Allocated Time screen.
