About Communication Safety on your child's Apple device
If your child receives or attempts to send photos or videos that might contain nudity, Communication Safety warns them, gives them options to stay safe, and provides helpful resources.
Check for sensitive photos and videos
Communication Safety helps protect your child from viewing or sharing photos or videos that contain nudity.
If Communication Safety detects that your child receives this type of sensitive content, it blurs the photo or video before your child can view it.
Communication Safety presents an intervention before your child can view or send sensitive content.
With this intervention, Communication Safety provides guidance and age-appropriate resources to help them make a safe choice, including the choice to contact someone that they trust.
How Communication Safety protects your child's privacy
Communication Safety uses on-device machine learning to analyze photo and video attachments and determine if a photo or video appears to contain nudity. Because the photos and videos are analyzed on your child's device, Apple doesn't receive an indication that nudity was detected and doesn't get access to the photos or videos.
Where Communication Safety detects sensitive photos and videos
Communication Safety detects nude photos and videos in these apps and services:
On iPhone or iPad: Messages, AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app and the Contacts app, FaceTime calls and video messages, shared photo albums, and when your child selects a photo or video to share in some third-party apps.
On Mac: Messages, Contact Posters in the Phone app and the Contacts app, shared photo albums, and when your child selects a photo or video to share in some third-party apps.
On Apple Watch: Messages, Contact Posters in the Phone app and the Contacts app, and FaceTime video messages.
On Apple Vision Pro: Messages, AirDrop, and when your child selects a photo or video to share in some third-party apps.
Communication Safety Requirements
To manage Communication Safety settings for your child's device, they must be signed in to their device with a child Apple Account and be part of your Family Sharing group.
Your Apple device and your child's Apple device need supported software versions:
For a complete set of protections and to make sure that your Communication Settings sync across devices, you should update all of the devices in your Family Sharing group to the latest software version.
For children under 13, Communication Safety is turned on by default on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch with the latest software version. For children 13-17, Communication Safety is turned on by default for new accounts on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro with the latest software version.
Communication Safety in Messages: iOS 15.2 or later, iPadOS 15.2 or later, watchOS 9 or later, macOS Monterey 12.1 or later, and visionOS 2 or later
Communication Safety in other supported apps: iOS 17 or later, iPad OS 17 or later, watchOS 10 or later, macOS Sonoma or later, and visionOS 2 or later
Apple Vision Pro is designed to fit and be used by individuals 13 years of age and older.
Turn Communication Safety on or off in Screen Time settings
Open Screen Time settings:
iPhone, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro: Go to Settings > Screen Time.
Mac: Choose the Apple menu > System Settings, then click Screen Time.
Scroll down and select your child.
Select Communication Safety.
Turn Communication Safety on or off. You might need to enter the Screen Time passcode for the device.
What your child sees when sensitive content is detected
If Communication Safety determines that a photo or video your child has received or is about to send appears to contain nudity, it blurs the photo or video and displays a warning. This warning reassures the child that it's OK not to view or send the content, and offers ways to get help.
Ways to get help
Communication Safety offers the child several ways to get help — including messaging a trusted adult, leaving the conversation, blocking the contact, leaving a group message, and accessing online safety resources — and reassures the child that it’s okay if they don’t want to view or send the photo or video, or if they want to leave the conversation.
Message someone they trust
As an additional precaution, the child has the option to message an adult that they trust about the photo or video. For children under 13, Communication Safety prompts the child to start a conversation with their parent or guardian.
If the child chooses to view or send a photo or video that contains nudity
Communication Safety confirms that they’re sure they want to do so and suggests alternatives, again reassuring the child that it’s okay not to participate and that more help is available.
For children under 13, they also need to enter the Screen Time passcode when they choose to view the sensitive content. This additional protection starts in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2.
About Sensitive Content Warning
You can also turn on Sensitive Content Warning on your Apple devices to help you avoid receiving unwanted nude photos or videos.
Learn more about Sensitive Content Warning
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