Developers of Apple apps now face increased responsibility for ensuring child safety, as the tech giant introduces new safety measures.
Apple is taking significant strides to enhance the safety of its apps, especially for younger users. The tech giant's updated age assurance framework aims to provide parents with better control over their children's app access.
Key details of the new policies include:
New Age Rating Categories
Apple has revamped the App Store rating system, replacing the previous 12+ and 17+ categories with three new tiers — 13+, 16+, and 18+ — while keeping the 4+ and 9+ categories unchanged. This move aligns ratings with regional content standards worldwide, offering parents more precise control.
Updated Developer Questionnaire
Developers must complete an enhanced questionnaire by January 31, 2026. This new form includes mandatory disclosures on in-app content such as user-generated material, wellness-related information, and violent or suggestive themes. These details determine the app’s age rating going forward. Failure to comply will block app update submissions.
Declared Range API
While the technical details of the Declared Range API are not yet fully disclosed, it appears to be part of Apple’s infrastructure for apps to declare their age rating range programmatically. This likely supports automated enforcement of age restrictions and safer user experiences.
Child Account Settings Enhancement
Apple is strengthening parental control mechanisms tied to child accounts. The new system leverages updated age ratings and the API to restrict app access more precisely based on a child’s age, ensuring apps deemed inappropriate under the new rating tiers are blocked.
Rollout Timeline
The new rating system and safety policies are already active in beta versions of iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and other upcoming OS updates. The full public rollout is expected in fall 2025.
In addition to these changes, Apple is expanding the Child Account set-up process to make it easier for parents to determine safety settings for users aged 13 and younger. The company also plans to provide avenues for app developers to set more comprehensive age-restriction settings for minor users.
Apple's move reflects a broader industry trend for stronger age verification and age assurance to protect minors in digital environments. The company is making it easier for parents to manage youth accounts and app access with its updated Child Account settings, while minimizing data collection.
Sources:
[1] Apple Developer - [Link to the official Apple Developer announcement] [2] TechCrunch - [Link to TechCrunch's coverage of the announcement] [3] The Verge - [Link to The Verge's coverage of the announcement]
- Apple is revamping its app store rating system, introducing three new age categories: 13+, 16+, and 18+, while keeping the existing 4+ and 9+ categories unchanged, for a more precise control over app access by parents globally.
- Developers will need to complete an enhanced questionnaire by January 31, 2026, including mandatory disclosures about in-app content, to determine the app’s age rating going forward, as non-compliance will block app update submissions.
- Apple is implementing a Declared Range API, allowing apps to declare their age rating range programmatically, which likely supports automated enforcement of age restrictions and safer user experiences.
- Child Account settings are being enhanced to provide parents with better control over youth accounts, ensuring apps deemed inappropriate under the new rating tiers are blocked for minors.
- Apple's updated Child Account settings are part of a broader industry trend for stronger age verification and age assurance to protect minors in digital environments, while minimizing data collection.
- The tech giant is also planning to provide avenues for app developers to set more comprehensive age-restriction settings for minor users, in addition to the easy setup process for Child Accounts. [Sources: Apple Developer, TechCrunch, The Verge]
