Apple's new parental controls, explained

Short answer. At its developers’ conference on 8 June 2026 (WWDC 2026), Apple previewed a set of new child-safety and parental-control features. They’re not available yet. They arrive in the autumn 2026 software update for iPhone and iPad, the next generation of Apple’s phone and tablet software. So this is a preview of what’s coming, not something you can switch on today. If you want to set up the controls that already exist, we have a separate walkthrough for Apple Screen Time.

What did Apple announce?

Apple showed off improvements to its existing Screen Time and Family Sharing system rather than a brand-new one. The headline changes are a simpler Child Account setup, two new controls called Ask to Browse and Time Allowances, a redesigned Screen Time overview, age-based protections that follow the child’s age, and a new way for apps to learn a child’s age band without collecting their date of birth.

The full list is on Apple Newsroom. Below is what each part means for a UK family in practice.

When can I use it?

Not on announcement day. Apple previewed these features on 8 June 2026 and said they’ll arrive in the autumn 2026 software update. That’s the usual pattern: Apple shows new software at WWDC in June, then ships it to everyone in the autumn.

You don’t need to buy a new device. These are software changes, so an iPhone or iPad that can take the autumn update should get them. Until then, the tools you already have (Screen Time, Family Sharing, downtime, app limits) are what you’ve got to work with.

What’s changing in Child Account setup?

A Child Account is the account type Apple uses for younger users. It’s required for children under 13 and available up to 18. The new setup defaults to age-appropriate settings and offers a recommended set of essential apps, so you’re not starting from a blank slate and guessing.

In plain terms, the first-run experience does more of the sensible default work for you. That’s a genuine help for parents who find the current setup fiddly. It doesn’t change the basic decision of whether a young child needs a full smartphone in the first place, which is a separate question we cover in which phone.

What is Ask to Browse?

Ask to Browse means a child has to ask a parent’s permission before opening a new website in Safari. Rather than blanket-blocking the web or leaving it wide open, it puts a check in front of new sites.

It’s a middle ground. For a curious child this could mean a lot of permission requests at first, then fewer as the regular sites get approved. Worth knowing before you turn it on, so it doesn’t feel like a surprise to either of you.

What are Time Allowances?

Time Allowances let you manage how much time a child spends in app categories such as Entertainment, Games and Social Media, with age-based recommendations informed by expert research. So instead of setting every limit from scratch, you get suggested amounts tied to your child’s age, which you can then adjust.

This is an upgrade to the screen-time limits parents already wrestle with. The recommendations give you a starting figure to argue from, which is often the hardest part of the conversation. If you want a sense of what’s reasonable before the update lands, our note on how much screen time a child needs is a calmer place to start than a heated kitchen-table debate.

What does the redesigned Screen Time view show?

Apple is redesigning the Screen Time view to give a clearer overview of a child’s average device use and most-used apps. The aim is to make the picture easier to read at a glance, so you can see where the time actually goes rather than digging through menus.

Useful for a once-a-week check rather than constant monitoring. The numbers are a prompt for a conversation, not a verdict.

What are age-based protections?

Several protections will be tied to the child’s age automatically: limiting adult websites, allowing only age-appropriate media, and setting age-based restrictions in the App Store. As the child gets older, the protections relax to match.

The point is that you set the age once and the right defaults follow, rather than you having to remember to loosen each setting on a birthday. Less admin, fewer gaps.

What is the Declared Age Range API, and why does it matter?

This is the most significant part for the wider internet, and it’s currently in beta. The Declared Age Range API lets the phone tell an app a child’s age band, for example under 13, 13 to 16, 16 to 18 or adult, along with an age-assurance signal, with a parent’s involvement. Crucially, the app does not receive the child’s date of birth or any other personal details. It just learns the age band.

Here’s why it matters. Age-check laws increasingly require apps and sites to know whether a user is a child. Without something like this, every app ends up asking for a birth date or an ID, and you’re handing personal data to dozens of companies. Apple’s approach is for the phone to vouch for the age band instead, so the app gets what the law needs and nothing more.

It’s a sensible idea in principle. As ever, it depends on how widely apps actually adopt it. It’s in beta, so don’t expect every app to use it the day the update ships.

What about the UK age checks that are already here?

Separate from the autumn preview, one change has already landed in the UK. Since the iOS 26.4 update in March 2026, an iPhone asks you to confirm you’re an adult before it will let you turn off certain safety settings or download apps rated 18+. You can confirm with a card, a government ID scan, or by letting Apple check your existing account details. If you don’t confirm, the device keeps the safety settings on and treats the account as a child’s.

For a family, the practical upshot is simple. On a child’s account you’d leave those settings on anyway, so the check works in your favour. It’s the grown-up’s account that gets the prompt. This sits under the Online Safety Act, and Ofcom has welcomed it.

Does this change the decision for parents?

Not really, and Apple is fairly honest about this. These are improvements to an existing system, not a brand-new one, and parental controls help but are not a substitute for the conversation and for choosing the right device in the first place.

That’s the Knock view too. Controls are a safety net, not the whole plan. They work best alongside an agreement you’ve both signed up to, which is what our switching kit is for, and they only matter on a device that can actually reach the things you’re worried about.

If your child is on a basic phone, none of this applies, because there’s nothing to lock down: no app store, no social media, no real web browser. That’s not a workaround, it’s the simplest version of every control above, built in by default. If you’re weighing up a first phone, our guide to choosing the device is the place to start, and you can set up the existing Apple controls today with our Screen Time walkthrough.

The short version: good, welcome changes, coming in the autumn, on top of a system that was already the better of the two big platforms. Worth knowing about, not worth panicking over.