Communication Safety Requires a Screen Time Password in Latest Systems
Apple has tightened how children in Family Sharing groups are protected against viewing or sending media that an on-device algorithm detects contains nudity. Starting in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, and watchOS 11, children under 13 will have to enter the Screen Time password to proceed past a warning. Children aged 13 to 17 with Communication Safety enabled for their accounts in Family Sharing will continue to receive just a warning. This new requirement creates a new kind of parent or guardian conversation with children over what a family’s adults think is appropriate to send and receive.
When Apple first announced plans to add several features to improve the safety and well-being of children using its operating systems and services, there was a backlash from child-safety and LGBTQIA+ advocates and electronic privacy organizations. As first described, several important groups felt Apple’s plans could expose some children to greater harm and break the company’s promise of privacy to its customers (see “FAQ about Apple’s Expanded Protections for Children,” 7 August 2021).
Apple quickly backpedaled from its initial plans (see “Apple Explains Pullback from CSAM Photo-Scanning,” 6 September 2023). Over the next three years, the company rolled out only one significant change: Communication Safety (see “Apple Releases iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, macOS 12.1 Monterey, watchOS 8.3, and tvOS 15.2,” 13 December 2021). Available only within Family Sharing, it could be enabled for children aged 17 or younger. Communication Safety uses on-device analysis of images and video to detect what appears to be nudity in incoming and outgoing communications. If detected, a warning is displayed to all children; children under 13 receive additional suggestions to consult a parent, guardian, or trusted adult. Kids can dismiss these warnings.
Communication Safety first appeared only for images in Messages in iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2, macOS 12.1, and watchOS 9. In iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 13 Sonoma, and watchOS 10, Apple added the capability to detect video in other communication channels—depending on your device—including AirDrop, Contact Posters, video, and FaceTime video messages.
In its initial proposal in 2021, Apple planned to offer parents of children under 13 an option to receive a notification if their child sent or received sensitive images, then labeled with the more charged term of images of a “sexual nature.” When Communication Safety rolled out, Apple consistently referred to “nudity” or “naked photos or videos.” This wording change removed a value judgment on the activities, as nudity can be sexual, nonsexual, or hard to define. (Some people interpret every naked picture of an adult as sexual, while others rely on context to determine whether an image has a sexual subject matter or sexualizing intent.)
Because an algorithm does this recognition, there’s a chance for false positives. For instance, a scene of children in a pool could be marked as “nudity” even if all the kids were wearing suits. Or a video that contained—or seemed to contain—exposed skin might have no nudity at all. The algorithm is proprietary and hidden, so it would require significant effort to probe its accuracy from the outside.
Starting in the operating system versions released last week (see “When Should You Upgrade to Apple’s 2024 OS Releases,” 16 September 2024), children under 13 will no longer receive just a warning. They will also have to enter the Screen Time passcode for their account. It’s an interesting decision on Apple’s part: Screen Time isn’t mandatory for children’s accounts, though Apple encourages it. A parent might create a guessable passcode or provide it to their offspring, with the child knowing that a parent has some visibility into what they do through Screen Time reports. (It’s not clear to me if parents will otherwise be informed when the Screen Time password is used for this bypass; I believe not.)
This requirement for the Screen Time password changes the equation on Apple’s original plan. Where in 2021, Apple proposed that a child’s device would rat them out, demonstrating a lack of trust by Apple and the parent, however justified, this new approach requires consultation. Either an under-13 will be deterred—“Oh, I shouldn’t do that!”—or they will need to talk with the adult with the Screen Time passcode, a scenario made plausible when the image or video is falsely marked as containing nudity or in cultures or households that have different attitudes on non-sexualized nudity.
Starting with iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 13 Sonoma, and watchOS 10, Communication Safety is enabled by default for all Family Sharing accounts for people under 17. The Family Sharing Owner or an account set as Parent/Guardian can toggle the setting in iOS and iPadOS in Settings > Family > Child Name > Screen Time > Communication Safety or in macOS via System Settings > Screen Time > Family Member > Child Name > Communication Safety.
Overall, this change seems reasonable in that it provides another check for children under 13 without making things more difficult or uncomfortable for older teenagers. It also keeps control in the hands of parents without turning Apple into a morality or policy enforcer.
Glenn Fleishman covers Communication Safety along with all sorts of other kinds of personal safety in his new book Keep Safe Using Mobile Tech from Take Control Books.
Why does Apple get to set the cut-off age rather than parents? I’d wager most parents would be a better judge of their kid’s character and maturity than some tech mega corp.
I suspect it is that 13 seems to be the cut-off age for a lot of the social media sites. It might even be mandated in legislation, but a quick search didn’t turn up anything that might have been enacted (lots of bills out there, but not finding laws).
For some families, older might be better option.
Different countries have laws that set certain ages for various responsibilities. As I recall, some of Apple’s child-related features/settings end for 16+ in the European Union, too.
No solutions, but several comments:
Parents should be able to pick any age for these kinds of cutoffs. If I want to restrict my adult children, I should be able to do so as long as I’m the owner of their phones. Apple has no way (and should not be allowed to have a way) to know what my children are or are not mature enough to handle.
It’s the “you’ll obey my rules as long as you live in my home” principle. If someone doesn’t want to be subject to the controls I impose, they can buy their own phone. And if they can’t afford their own, well, that’s just tough.
(No, I don’t have any controls configured for my adult child’s phone, which I’m paying for, but I should have the right and ability to do so.)
These controls are valuable to more than just parents. If I’m an employer and I’m issuing phones to my staff, why shouldn’t I be able to enable this for the phones I’m paying for?
If it’s not already present, Apple should provide a variation on this feature for all MDM-managed phones, regardless of the age of the user. (But maybe change the prompt from “Message A Grown-Up” to “Contact IT”)
All reasonable, but Apple doesn’t seem to take requests these days! You might file some feedback—who knows what could happen?
That is a very wacky to me. I can understand it from a principle standpoint, but not a “my adult children must consider nudity” standpoint. That’s personal autonomy. Sure, you don’t have to pay for it, but I would find it truly peculiar if Apple ever offered such a thing.
As I wrote, I am not interested in doing this, but there are quite a lot people who have a personal morality that they would not want to permit nudity in their household at all. If you choose to install a “net nanny” app on your router to block porn from your LAN, the manufacturer doesn’t (I assume) force you to disable it for adult users. It’s up to you, as the owner to decide what its scope should be. This is really no different.
If there is filtering, I should be able to activate it on any phone that I manage, including my own - because I may be someone who would be offended to receive something like this.
It’s not Apple’s role to enforce morality, but that cuts both ways. They shouldn’t force me to filter anything. But if they offer filtering, I should be able to enable it on any device I manage, without regard to the age of the person using it.
This doesn’t really conform to that—Apple chose to carve out a particular area.
@glennf Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding with Communication Safety is that parents can turn it off for children entirely, which provides some flexibility for those who want less oversight. Those who want more oversight will have to look elsewhere.
Yes, that’s the only configuration option. It’s enabled by default. I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but it’s in the article!
In the USA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) limits online marketing and data collection aimed at children under the age of 13. It also adds some data privacy and protection requirements.
After COPPA was established, many companies and organizations have converged on 13 years of age as the minimum age for various permissions and transactions to simplify policies and compliance programs, even when not specifically required by COPPA in the USA or similar laws in other jurisdictions.
I understand completely, but I don’t understand why Apple can’t provide additional control. Since the feature is present anyway, it should be trivially simple to support other criteria for when it should be on or off.
Yes, I knew that, but wanted you to confirm that I was understanding the level of configuration correctly.
I confirm you were understanding it!
Yeah, it’s weird because in releases before the Sept. 2023 ones, Apple didn’t check the box. Now they do. So they imposed a level of oversight that people might want to choose for themselves.