Apple Shares Animated Video Showing Parents How to Use Child Safety Features

According to 9to5Mac, which reported on the video, the clip covers both the options added in the latest operating systems and features Apple had already released. The video presents setting up a child account as the starting point, because it lets parents choose age-appropriate safeguards for the devices their children use.

From there, Apple shows how parents can control which types of apps a child can access, approve new apps and games through Ask to Buy, and use the new Ask to Browse feature to approve or deny access to websites in Safari. The video also covers controls for approving new contacts, the expanded Communication Safety feature, and the new Time Allowances and Schedules tools.

Apple says the setup is intended to keep “kids even more safe on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.”

The animation is a departure from Apple's typical product marketing. It relies on simple shapes and playful motion, a style the report compares to Apple's “Intention” film, which opened the company's WWDC 2013 keynote and used a similar visual approach to convey the meaning and feeling of its subject.

9to5Mac had previously covered the parental control additions that arrived with the three operating system releases. The new video does not introduce features beyond those already shipping; it functions as a walkthrough of the child account system, from initial setup through app, web, contact and screen-time controls, aimed at parents who are configuring devices for their children.