Age Range Tool

Apple Introduces Age Range Tool for Parents: Everything You Need to Know

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Age Range Tool – Apple is set to introduce a significant upgrade to its parental controls, aiming to provide parents with more effective tools to restrict their children’s access to unsuitable content.

New Age Ranges for App Content

The updated parental controls, currently in beta and scheduled for full release later this year, will simplify the process of setting up child accounts and limiting app content based on new age ranges:
  • 4+: No objectionable content allowed
  • 9+: May include mild cartoon or fantasy violence, profanity, crude humor, or mature themes
  • 13+: May contain references to alcohol, tobacco, or drug use, sexual content, realistic violence, or simulated gambling
  • 16+: May include unrestricted web access, frequent mature or suggestive content, or medical-focused content

Calls for More Specific Age Restrictions

While Apple’s new age ranges offer more granularity, some argue that allowing specific ages rather than broad ranges would provide even greater control for parents.

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Enhanced Parental Control Features

The upgraded parental controls will enable parents to:
  • Easily set up child accounts
  • Restrict app content based on age ranges
  • Monitor and manage their child’s online activity
By introducing these enhanced parental controls, Apple aims to provide parents with more effective tools to safeguard their children from inappropriate content and ensure a safer online experience.

Apple Enhances Parental Controls for Mature Content

Apple’s updated parental controls will also address mature content for users aged 18 and above. For this age range:
  • App content may feature explicit material, including:
  • Gambling or simulated gambling
  • References to substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco, or drugs)
  • Sexual content, nudity, or realistic violence

Secure Information Sharing with App Developers

To facilitate age-restricted content, Apple will allow parents to share age range information with app developers, while maintaining their child’s privacy:
  • Parents can share age ranges (e.g., 4-8 years) without revealing sensitive information, such as birthdates.
  • This secure sharing enables app developers to provide more tailored, age-appropriate content.

The decision follows increasing concerns from parents about their children’s online exposure to pornography, violent content, and social media bullying.

As online dangers for children continue to expand, we remain committed to developing thoughtful tools and resources to help parents safeguard their families and assist developers in fulfilling their responsibilities,” says Apple.

Apple announced that later this year, children browsing the App Store will no longer see apps with age ratings higher than the limits set by their parents. This restriction will apply across featured sections, including the Today, Games, and Apps tabs, as well as editorial stories and curated collections.

Additionally, Apple is introducing a new setup process for Child Accounts, ensuring that child-friendly default settings are applied to a device even before parents complete the full setup.

Later this year, Apple will also allow parents to correct the age linked to their child’s account if it was initially set incorrectly. However, children will not be able to modify their age settings themselves.

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