Expanding Parental Controls on Apple Devices with Age-Rated App Experience
Apple has bolstered its parental controls and child account experience by expanding age ratings for apps and introducing a new API to customize in-app experiences by age. The company aims to create a more curated, safe experience for children, starting with the upcoming expansion of global age ratings to four categories: 4+, 9+, 13+, and 16+. This change will allow developers to more accurately determine app ratings and parents to make informed decisions about app downloads.
- Apple's per-app level approach to age verification, facilitated by the Declared Age Range API, could set a significant precedent for the industry, forcing other platforms to reevaluate their own methods of ensuring safe child access.
- As the debate around who should be responsible for age verification in apps continues, how will the increasing use of AI-powered moderation tools and machine learning algorithms impact the efficacy of these measures in safeguarding minors?