Apple announced new parental controls at its Worldwide Developers Conference, giving parents more power to manage children's app usage, content access, and communication. The updates come amid growing pressure on tech companies to limit children's exposure to social media, linked to mental health risks.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Apple CEO Tim Cook told him the changes were partly inspired by Australia's social media age ban. - Parents can choose which apps children can use and control website access.
- Features are designed to help families establish age-based protections and healthy digital habits. - Australia became the first democracy to force platforms like Meta and TikTok to ban under-16s.
- Similar restrictions are being implemented or discussed in Indonesia, parts of India, the UK, and several European countries. The movement has spread globally, with jury verdicts in the US increasing public discussion of social media's harms.
Apple's updates will begin with software updates this fall.