AI features may have been the order of the day at WWDC 2026, with the major Siri AI announcement, but Apple also spent a lot of time talking about on-device parental controls. Data shows that many families don’t use parental controls, despite finding them helpful for managing children’s screen time and online access. Experts also say that parents often find the tools hard to use or don’t know about them. So, Apple’s upcoming update aims to make parental controls easier and more comprehensive.
Core to the update, which will be available with Apple’s iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 this spring, is a reworked version of Screen Time. It’s where people can set time limits on various apps, including how long kids can play games for, or even set personal limits on social media use.
The new Screen Time displays a redesigned dashboard that provides an overview of kids’ most-used apps and their average device use. Apple’s update intends to provide more helpful information at a glance, giving parents more information to help establish healthy screen habits.
New features to manage kids’ screen time
Time Allowances is another new addition that aims to give parents flexibility in managing kids’ time spent using apps across different categories, like games and social media. It also lets parents set schedules, so that children can’t access specific apps before or during school, but can let loose afterwards.
Within this section, parents can also see recommended time limits for different types of apps depending on the age of the child, which Apple says is “based on expert research”. For example, it might suggest a one-hour games allocation, while limiting social media use to 30 minutes.
To bring it all together, Apple has also launched a dedicated Child Safety website, hosting information and resources to help parents get the most out of the new tools. These tweaks to Apple’s parental controls ecosystem also add to plenty of existing features, like automatically blocking access to age-inappropriate content, managing who children can message, and notifying parents when family members use the passcode to bypass screen time limits.
Adding to the family-based features, Apple recently confirmed that Telstra now supports Apple Watch for Kids in Australia. It gives families a phone-free connectivity option for children without the full responsibility and access that comes with a modern phone.
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