🛡️ Parental controls and family safety · 💬 Social apps and messaging
Apple Messages and FaceTime (Communication Safety)
By Apple. Visit Apple Messages and FaceTime (Communication Safety)
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
The messaging and video-calling apps built into iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, with safety features for children in Family Sharing. Communication Safety blurs photos and videos that seem to show nudity, and from iOS 27 gore and violence in FaceTime video messages, before a child views or sends them, then offers ways to get help. It is on by default for under-18s, and under-13s need a parent's Screen Time passcode to view. Parents can also limit who a child contacts and approve new contacts.
Our take: Worth turning on for any child with an iPhone or iPad; pair it with contact limits for younger kids.
| Ages it suits | any age with a parent-made child account; teens 13-17 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Parents or guardians must create the Apple Account for children under 13 (age varies by country) inside Family Sharing. Communication Safety needs the child signed in with a Child Account in the family group. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Built into Apple devices at no extra cost (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | iPhone and iPad, Mac |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | On-device machine learning checks photos and videos for nudity and, in some places, gore and violence; nothing is sent to Apple unless the child reports it. |
What's good
- On by default for under-18s
- Analysis stays on the device
- Parent approves new contacts
- No ads or purchases
Watch for
- Only on Apple devices
- Teens 13+ can still choose to view after warnings
- Parents need Family Sharing set up correctly
- Does not cover every third-party app
Data and privacy
Apple says Communication Safety runs on the child's device, so Apple gets no signal and no copy of flagged images; if a child reports nudity, that content goes to Apple for review. Apple's privacy policy requires verifiable parental consent to create a child account. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only: Apple says detection happens on the device and that it can forward reports to authorities. No independent study of Communication Safety was found.
In the Big Index
- On the list Top 10 setups for a child who wants an AI to answer their questions
- On the list Parental controls for 12 AI chatbots, step by step
- On the list 8 smart speaker and voice assistant setups for kids (pre-readers especially)
- On the list The family AI station: 9 steps to a shared AI setup in a common room
- On the list 9 tablet and phone setups for kids in the AI era
- On the list 10 AI privacy settings to change on day one
- On the list 10 browser setups for kids: kid browsers, safe search, extensions and kid modes
- On the list 12 signs your child's AI setup needs a rethink
- On the list 12 questions to ask before you download a learning app
- Use Screen Time to Manage Your Child's iPhone or iPad
- Set up Apple Watch for a family member
- Set up parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad
- The maker in the who's who: Apple
Alternatives to Apple Messages and FaceTime (Communication Safety)
Desk researchFree
BeReal
BeReal SAS · ages 13+
A lower-pressure social app for teens 13+ with real-life friends; younger kids should wait.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Discord (Family Center, teen-by-default)
Discord Inc. · ages 13+
Workable for teens 13+ who mainly chat with real-life friends, with Family Center on; too open for younger children.
Desk researchFree
Instagram (Teen Accounts)
Meta · ages 13+
For teens 13+ only with supervision set up in Family Center; parents should not rely on Teen Accounts alone.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Kinzoo Messenger
Kinzoo · ages young kids to tweens, on a parent-made account
A good first messenger for under-13s whose friends will also join; check the in-app store settings.
Desk researchFree
Lemon8
TikTok USDS Joint Venture (US) · ages 13+
No reason for kids under 13; for teens it carries the same data terms as TikTok without TikTok's parent tools.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Messenger Kids
Meta · ages under 13 (App Store rating 4+)
A reasonable first messenger for under-13s whose family already uses Facebook; skip if you don't want Meta holding your child's messages.
Where these facts come from
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/105069
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/102617
- https://support.apple.com/guide/child-safety/choose-who-your-child-can-communicate-with-gkz40jx9zf5r/web
- https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.