Apple’s new ‘Families’ page puts parental controls in one place

By

parental controls
Apple is responding to concerns from investors and the general public.
Photo: Apple

Responding to concerns about smartphone addiction among younger users, Apple rolled out a new “Families” page to describe the parental controls and safety features currently available on the company’s devices.

The page reveals how parents can track their kids’ location, monitor purchases, and filter what their children can see on their devices. It also reviews Apple’s privacy and health-related features, along with sharing among family members, and Apple’s focus on education.

“You want to do what’s best for your family. So do we,” Apple writes. “iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV [are] some of the most powerful tools ever made for learning, exploring, and staying in touch. Parents love them. Kids love them. And we’re continually designing new features to help make sure kids use them in the ways you want.”

Concerns about smartphone addiction

While Apple has long included many of these features on iOS, the timing of the new “Families” page is notable. It follows a push from investors earlier this year that Apple look into the public-health crisis concerning young kids and smartphone addiction.

“We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them,” Apple said at the time to the Wall Street Journal. “We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids.”

Tim Cook has promised that Apple will this year introduce an iOS feature that will allow parents to monitor their kids’ screen time more closely. (For now, there are various third-party apps on the market you can use to do the same thing.)

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.