About Communication Safety on your child’s Apple device
If your child receives or attempts to send photos or videos that may contain sensitive content – including nudity or gore and violence – Communication Safety will warn them, blur the content and provide helpful resources.
Check for sensitive photos and videos
Communication Safety helps protect your child from viewing or sharing photos or videos that contain sensitive content, including nudity or gore and violence.
If Communication Safety detects that your child receives this type of sensitive content, it will blur the photo or video before your child can view it.
Communication Safety presents multiple interventions before your child can view or send sensitive content.
With these interventions, Communication Safety provides guidance and age-appropriate resources to help them make a safe choice, including the choice to contact someone that they trust.
When you set a Screen Time passcode, children under 13* can’t view the sensitive content without permission. To view the content, they need to ask a parent or guardian to enter the Screen Time passcode.
How Communication Safety protects your child’s privacy
Communication Safety uses on-device machine learning to determine whether a photo or video appears to contain sensitive content, including nudity or gore and violence. Because the photos and videos are analysed on your child’s device, Apple won’t receive an indication that sensitive content was detected and won’t get access to the photos or videos.
Where Communication Safety detects sensitive photos and videos
Communication Safety detects sensitive content 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.
Gore and violence detection is only available in FaceTime video messages, not in live calls. It isn’t available on Apple Vision Pro.
Turn Communication Safety on or off in Screen Time settings
Open Screen Time settings:
iPhone, iPad or Apple Vision Pro: go to Settings, then tap Screen Time.
Mac: choose the Apple menu , click System Settings, then click Screen Time.
Scroll down and select your child.
Select Communication Safety.
Turn Communication Safety on or off. You may need to enter the Screen Time passcode for the device.
Communication Safety requirements
Manage Communication Safety settings for your child's device:
Apple Account: Your child must be signed in to their device with a Child Account.
Family Sharing: Your child must be part of your Family Sharing group.
Software requirements:
Your Apple device and your child’s Apple device need supported software versions.
For a complete set of protections: Update all of the devices in your Family Sharing group to the latest software version. This also makes sure that your Communication Safety settings sync across devices.
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, iPadOS 17 or later, watchOS 10 or later, macOS Sonoma or later and visionOS 2 or later
Gore and violence detection: iOS 27 or later, iPadOS 27 or later, macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, and watchOS 27 or later
Report to Apple: To make sure that you have the option to report the sensitive content to Apple, update all of the devices in your Family Sharing group to iOS 27 or later, iPadOS 27 or later, macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, watchOS 27 or later, and visionOS 27 or later.
Default settings:
Children under 18*: On by default on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch with the latest software version. For children aged 13–17, Communication Safety is turned on by default on Apple Vision Pro with the latest software version.
Apple Vision Pro is designed to fit and be used by individuals 13 years of age and older.
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 sensitive content – including nudity or gore and violence – it will blur the photo or video and display a warning.
Ways to get help
Communication Safety offers your child several ways to get help. They can message a trusted adult, leave the conversation or group message, block the contact and access online safety resources. It also reassures your 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.
If nudity is detected in an iMessage or FaceTime video call, your child can also report the sender to Apple. When they do, the sensitive content is sent to Apple for review.
Apple may forward reports to the relevant authorities, including law enforcement, and take appropriate action on the sender's Apple Account. Additionally, Apple may follow up regarding the report. This follow-up will be sent to the submitter of the report.
Message someone they trust
As an additional precaution, your child has the option to message an adult that they trust about the photo or video. For children under 13*, Communication Safety prompts your child to start a conversation with their parent or guardian.
If your child chooses to view or send a photo or video that contains sensitive content
Communication Safety confirms that they’re sure they want to do so and suggests alternatives, again reassuring your child that it’s okay not to participate and that more help is available.
For children under 13* to view sensitive content, they need to ask their parent or guardian to enter the Screen Time passcode on the child’s device. This additional protection starts in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia and visionOS 2.
After the parent or guardian has entered the Screen Time passcode, they can use a slider to selectively reveal details without viewing the full content. That way, full exposure to the sensitive content isn’t required before making a decision about whether your child can view it. This feature starts in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27 and visionOS 27.
About Sensitive Content Warning
For adults, you can also turn on Sensitive Content Warning on your Apple devices to help you avoid receiving unwanted sensitive content, including nudity or gore and violence.
Find out more about Sensitive Content Warning
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