Apple users in the UK will have to provide a credit card or ID to verify their age as part of the latest software update for iPhones and iPads. The age checks will mean users have to prove they are old enough to access certain services and “take actions on their account”.
They come amid an industry-wide debate on how to keep children safe online. Under its changes, Apple will confirm whether the user is 18 or older through proof of a credit card or scanning their ID. As part of the latest iOS 26.4 software update, Apple will automatically turn on web content filters for children and teenagers, as well as adults who fail to confirm their age.
If Apple users cannot confirm their age or are not an adult, they will be required to “connect to a family sharing group with an adult who has confirmed their age to take certain actions” on their account.
The checks come as peers are set to vote on Wednesday (March 25) over whether or not to block under-16s from social media platforms deemed harmful.
In a Commons-backed amendment put forward by ministers, children could be banned or restricted from accessing selected social media services, with several bereaved parents urging members of the Lords to “vote to raise the age”.
Alongside this, hundreds of teenagers are set to take part in a trial of social media bans, time limits and curfews.
Lord Nash, speaking ahead of the debate, said: “Today, my colleagues in the Lords have the opportunity to again tell our elected colleagues that when it comes to our children and social media, there can be no half measures and no wasted opportunities.”
The Tory peer added: “The damage that social media is doing to our children increases by the day.
“It is now clear that the Government’s consultation is a rushed job with no guaranteed outcome – and worse, one skewed towards the so-called positive benefits of social media.”
UK media regulator Ofcom said Apple’s age checks are a “real win for children and families”, according to the BBC.
The Government’s consultation on a potential Australia-style social media ban is set to end on May 26.