At WWDC on Monday, Apple unveiled an expanded toolkit for parents, aiming to help them fine-tune their kids’ online experiences and curb screen time. But beneath the veneer of child safety, the updates felt less like a parenting guide and more like a preemptive strike in a brewing regulatory war against Meta and other app developers.
Apple’s new features include greater customization of screen time allotments and the ability to block gory or violent images in messages before kids see them. Raja Bose, Apple’s director of trust, safety, and values product marketing, struck a balanced tone: “On one hand, there’s so many benefits to your child having their own device. You rest easier since you can stay in touch, know where they are, and provide them with great apps that can help them learn and grow.” But he acknowledged the risks of unfettered internet access before kids are ready.
The company emphasized three key principles: parents should decide what kids access, Apple’s recommendations will be shaped by expert research, and some harmful things online are outside its control. Ann Thai, Apple’s senior director of marketplace platforms and technologies, drove the point home: “It’s developers who play an important role in ensuring kids are getting age-appropriate experiences within apps.” That last line was clearly aimed not just at parents, but at politicians and regulators debating who should police the internet for kids.
As policymakers in the UK, Australia, and parts of the US have pushed for age-gating, Meta and other developers have been forced to roll out age-checking systems. In response, they’ve backed proposals that would shift the burden to app stores to verify ages and then signal those ages to developers. Apple has fought these bills fiercely - CEO Tim Cook reportedly called the Texas governor in a failed bid to stop an app store-level age verification rule, and visited Capitol Hill to lobby against similar legislation, warning it could harm user privacy. The Apple and Google-backed group Chamber of Progress has supported the Parents Over Platforms Act, which avoids strict age verification and places more responsibility on developers like Meta.
Apple has complied when necessary - it began requiring a credit card or government ID for new Apple accounts in Texas earlier this month. Its WWDC presentation followed a long tradition of companies trying to show they can protect kids without regulation, something Meta has also done. But Apple put a special emphasis on developers pitching in. “Many apps already offer parental controls to help shield kids from content they shouldn’t see,” Thai said. “We believe every app has that same responsibility.” She touted APIs developers can use for parent approvals and nudity protection. (Meanwhile, protesters outside Apple Park demanded the removal of apps using AI to undress users virtually, including X’s Grok.)
Apple executives stressed they’re following medical experts, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Family Media Plan, which promotes a nuanced approach over strict screen time limits. Sumbul Ahmad Desai, Apple’s VP of health, noted that “every child is unique, and parents are in the best position to decide what works for their family.” Apple is positioning its products as the best enforcement tool - but not a silver bullet for making the entire internet safe. Because why take full responsibility when you can share the blame?