New Apple age assurance features help parents and developers protect children

Apple is launching a series of protections for children regarding the use of age-appropriate apps in the App Store, including providing verification through a developer API.

While Apple has previously announced Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) protections and then dropped them, the company says that it is now strengthening how the App Store prevents children seeing age-inappropriate content.

The new extra protections are rolling out in stages, with the first starting now, and the rest following at an as-yet unspecified time in 2025. Apple has published a white paper detail its plans, and the initial launch introduces:

• An improved and faster setup for parents
• Delayed setup for children

The former is for when a parent is setting up a child's Apple Account. A child must have an adult's permission to have an account, and to prove that an adult is setting it up, Apple has previously asked for details such as a credit card number.

Now Apple will instead look at the credit card that is already in use on the adult's Apple Account. It checks the payment history and confirms that the adult has previously used Face ID or Touch ID, then allows that parent to continue.

There is also a faster way for children to set up their Apple Account and begin using an iPhone or iPad if there's a delay before a parent can do it for them. The child is prompted for whether they are aged below 13, and if they choose that option, the device will set up with all the default child protection options turned on.

This section does also have options to say that the user is a teenager or an adult. But if a child accidentally or deliberately chooses the wrong option, they then have to go through all of the adult verification process.

So children can't fully set up their device. But they can use apps for homework, and they can browse the web — but with the content automatically filtered to be age appropriate.

Parental and developer improvements to come

The changes announced now that will be in place later in 2025, are divided into ones for parents and ones for developers.

• Parents can correct age details
• Developers can request confirmation of an age range
• App Store will not show age inappropriate apps

The former means that if for any reason a child's age has been entered incorrectly, a parent can update that. It's surprising that this hasn't always been possible, but at least it will be shortly.

Parents are also key to what developers can see about a user's details, and so act to provide age-appropriate materials in their apps. Up to now, apps have had to ask for the user's age but Apple plans to give parents control over the information.

Developers will use a Declared Age Range API to request age information. If a parent approves of the app being informed, then it is, but otherwise it is not.

And when it is informed, the app gets only the age range, it does not get personal information such as the child's date of birth. Parents can also revoke this option later, if they change their minds.

Age assurance

While it's on the developer to request the age range of the user, Apple's App Store review assigns age ratings. What's new is that Apple is updating its age ratings to provide more precise options.

So later in 2025, the age ratings will change specifically to give greater granularity for adolescents:

1. Age 4+
2. Age 9+
3. Age 13+
4. Age 16+
5. Age 18+

Apple notes that some regions in the world have their own specific rating guidelines. But broadly, for 4+ the app can contain no objectionable content, while 18+ apps have no such restrictions beyond the standard terms of the App Store.

Once these new age ranges are in place for developers and the App Store review team, Apple will block children from seeing inappropriate apps in searches.

How this affects social media and third-party app stores

Even if apps are hosted on third-party app stores, they have to be approved by Apple. So in theory all apps that can be installed on iPhones and iPads will be subject to these new protections.

Apple verifying ages is something that Facebook for years has said is the iPhone maker's responsibility. Apple has historically disagreed on that point, saying that sharing that data would be a violation of users' privacy.

Complicating the discussion somewhat are the governments of the world, who hold mixed opinions on the matter.

According to Apple, social media platforms have not been informed about these changes ahead of time. So it's not yet known whether they will continue to implement their own age verification processes — but it seems likely that they will lean on Apple's implementation given historical stances on the matter.