Apple is rolling out enhanced child safety features across its upcoming iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, visionOS 26, and tvOS 26 updates, launching this fall. Kids will need parental approval to text new phone numbers, with requests managed directly through the Messages app. Developers can integrate similar controls using Apple’s new PermissionKit API. Parental controls will now also offer more nuanced age-appropriate protections for children aged 13 to 17, expanding beyond the existing safeguards for those under 13. Updates to the Communication Safety tool will detect and blur nudity in FaceTime and shared photo albums. The App Store will introduce more detailed age ratings, and apps can request a child’s age range via a new Declared Age Range API, without revealing the exact birthdate. These changes come amid ongoing debates over app store age verification legislation in some US states.
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