What’s new with parental controls in Screen Time and Family Sharing
Parental controls* are redesigned in version 27 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, with new quick actions, more flexible schedules and time limits, and new ways to approve what your child uses when you set them up with a Child Account.
Note: Redesigned parental controls are available on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. Some features apply to watchOS 27 including Screen Time Schedules, on-demand quick actions, and select Content and Privacy Restrictions.
Redesigned parental controls. When you view your child’s settings under Family Sharing, you can now see quick buttons to manage their device use, view information about their daily Screen Time use, and more.
Screen Time Schedules. Choose which apps your kids can access at different times of the day such as Before School, School, and After School. You can even set up separate routines for weekdays and weekends, or create your own based on what works best for your family.
Time Allowances. Decide how much time kids can spend using Games, Social Media, and Entertainment apps. To help you get started, you’ll see guidance informed by expert research and tailored to your child’s age.
Ask to Browse. Decide which websites your child can visit in Safari and let them request approval for each new site they want to visit. You can also allow websites ahead of time. When kids are ready to browse more freely, Limit Adult Websites can help filter adult content.
Note: Ask to Browse is on by default for children with a Child Account under 13. Limit Adult Websites is on by default for children with a Child Account under 18. Children under 13 need to request to browse new websites and children under 18 need permission to browse all blocked websites. (Ages may vary by country or region.)
Communication Safety. Communication Safety blurs nudity when detected in shared photos and videos in supported apps, giving your child a way to get help. It now also helps blur detected gore and violent content in shared images and videos and is on by default for children under 18.
Start focused. After a Child Account is created on an iPhone or iPad, you can choose which apps they can access on their device. You can start with just a few essential apps, a curated set, or choose just the apps you feel are appropriate. Apps can then be gradually added and approved over time with Ask to Buy.
What’s next?
To use the new parental controls, every device in your Family Sharing group needs version 27 or later of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or watchOS. See Update your family devices to iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27.
If you already had parental controls set up, you’ll be prompted to review your settings and update them. See Set up parental controls on your child’s device.
To get an overview of what you can do and where each setting lives, see Explore parental controls on your kid’s device.