Apple just expanded its child safety features with age ratings that could lessen the chance of an inappropriate download

Expanded age ratings for apps and an easier process to create a 'Child Account'

27 Feb 2025, 20:30 · TechRadar

News By Jacob Krol published 27 February 2025

(Image credit: Unsplash/Laurenz Heymann)

Apple's bolstering its parental controls and child account experience
Later in 2025, global age ratings will be expanded, and you can convert any standard account to a child account
There is also a new API designed to help customize the in-app experience by age

Apple has long offered parental controls on devices and child accounts but is now making some changes to bolster its offering and make it a safer experience for all parties involved. Some of these adjustments are on the end user's side, such as creating a child account and App Store adjustments, but several are on the developer's side, in the form of API changes.

The new features and functionality were shared in a new whitepaper titled “Helping Protect Kids Online,” which you can read in full here. The changes begin with streamlining the process of creating a child account. As seen in the latest betas for iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, Apple now allows you to select an age range when creating an account; once selected, this information informs the presets for parental controls.

Of course, creating the account adds your child as a user and allows for family sharing of iCloud services and purchases within the App Store. However, to streamline the process, you can still give the child access to the new device with more limited functionality if you want to complete the rest of the account setup later.

(Image credit: Future)

Likely even more important, and good news for some, is that later in 2025, Apple will let you update the age on an Apple Account. This way, if you input the wrong date of birth, you can adjust it. Apple requires that kids under 13 have a Child Account associated with a parental Apple ID in the United States. Those under 18 can choose to be set up this way for these advanced protections, and some presets.

The App Store experience currently offers four age ratings worldwide, two of them being 12+ and 17+. Apple aims to create a more curated, safe experience and will expand the global age ratings later this year. This will bring Apple's age ratings closer to those of Google and its Play Store, which already offer age-based ratings in several categories depending on region.

Apple's expansion is a bit more focused and standard across all regions, with four new categories targeting specific age groups.

4+, which means no objectionable content is in the app.
9+, meaning the app might have content unsuitable for children under nine. It’s described in the paper as “infrequent or mild cartoon or fantasy violence, profanity or crude humor, or mature, suggestive, or horror- or fear-themed content.”
13+, which is described as potentially featuring: “infrequent or mild medical or treatment-focused content, references to alcohol, tobacco, or drug use, sexual content or nudity, realistic violence, or simulated gambling; or frequent or intense contests, profanity or crude humor, horror or fear-themed content, or cartoon or fantasy violence.
16+, described as “including through unrestricted web access, frequent or intense mature or suggestive content, or medical or treatment-focused content.”
19+, “including through instances of gambling, frequent or intense simulated gambling, references to alcohol, tobacco, or drug use, sexual content or nudity, or realistic violence.”

These will be the minimum age recommended for the app. This should allow developers to more accurately determine the age rating for the experience they are creating, and parents might find it easier to decide if it's safe to download. If a parent has turned on parental controls for app downloads, the App Store will only serve up age-appropriate apps when this arrives later in 2025.

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