Apple is redesigning Screen Time and overhauling child controls

At WWDC 2026, Apple announced an overhaul to its Screen Time parental control tool that aims to improve its safeguarding features to protect children who use iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. Some of the new features coming with Apple’s iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 updates include giving parents and guardians more control over who their kids can talk to in Messages, and what content or apps they can access, and recommended time allowances in Screen Time.

The guidelines that Apple is following for these features are based on recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, with Apple saying that experts have warned that children under 13 shouldn’t have access to social media apps. “We’re giving parents powerful, easy to use tools to help manage what kids can see, who they can talk to, and when they have access,” Apple software engineering chief, Craig Federighi, said during the keynote.