Apple Empowers Parents: New Feature Lets You Share Your Child’s Age for Enhanced App Control

Apple recently shared a whitepaper outlining new safety options for kids. These features will help parents manage their children’s app experiences better. Parents will be able to share their kids’ age ranges with apps, and the App Store will refresh its age rating system. Apple aims to roll these out “this year.”

Other companies, like Meta, Snap, and X, believe platforms should verify users’ ages at the operating system or app store level. However, Apple is said to have lobbied against a Louisiana bill that would have enforced age restrictions more strictly.

In its whitepaper, Apple argued that verifying ages at the app marketplace wouldn’t protect privacy. They expressed concern that such a requirement would need users to share sensitive personal data, which could compromise their safety.

The new age sharing feature allows parents to give consent for their kids’ age ranges to be shared with app developers, without needing to verify their actual ages. Parents can opt in or out of this sharing anytime.

Meta’s spokesperson commented that while Apple’s announcement is a step in the right direction, they believe that age-appropriate protections should also require parental approval. Parents want control over the apps their kids use, which is why they support measures that ensure age verification.

The updated App Store will change age ratings from four categories to five: 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+, and 18+. Developers will need to indicate if their apps include user-generated content or ads that might expose kids to inappropriate material.

To protect children further, the App Store will prevent displaying apps with age ratings above what parents have set for their kids.

Apple also plans to streamline the Child Accounts setup process. Parents will have the ability to adjust the age linked to the account if needed.

Update, February 27th: Added statement from Meta.