Last Updated on 05/12/2021 by Sanskriti
Apple has dropped a new tool keeping in mind the safety of the kids and which will also notify their parents. This upgrade will include a feature that alerts U.S. users under the age of 18 before sending or opening text messages containing nude photographs, as requested by child-safety organizations and parents.
However, the business removed a feature of the application that alerted parents when their children under the age of 13 saw or sent nudes. Some supporters have praised the decision, claiming it safeguards the privacy of children’s conversations, while others have expressed concern that it may expose children to predators and bullies.
“They should have kept parental notifications for kids under 13,” said Stephen Balkam, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute. “There’s no reason we should ask an 11-year-old to keep herself safe online.”
Apple’s new feature, which will be included in iOS 15.2 later this month, raises concerns about how tech firms balance the rights of both parents and children when developing products, as well as how much control children should have over their technology use. Many parents believe that knowing what their children are doing on their gadgets is normal—even expected. Sexting and online child predation have lately grown among children under the age of 13.
According to Apple, giving children the opportunity to reflect before sharing or accessing a nude image might prevent them from making a hasty decision with serious implications.
As a form of bullying, children may distribute the nudes of other children, and some teenagers have committed suicide as a result of such instances. Even if the transaction was voluntary, it is prohibited in many places for children to have nude images of other minors on their phones.
For years, Mr. Balkam’s group has urged Apple to take action against sexually graphic photos involving minors. He praised Apple for taking initiative but said that parents should not be forgotten. “I think they’re 85% there with this,” he said.
This anti-sexting feature for Messages was introduced earlier this year, along with another attempt to safeguard child pornography victims.
