Apple's Messages Communication Safety Feature for Kids Expanding to the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

Apple is planning to expand its Communication Safety in Messages feature to the UK, according to The Guardian. Communication Safety in Messages was introduced in the iOS 15.2 update released in December, but the feature has been limited to the United States until now.

communication safety feature yellow
Communication Safety in Messages is designed to scan incoming and outgoing iMessage images on children's devices for nudity and warn them that such photos might be harmful. If nudity is detected in a photo that's received by a child, the photo will be blurred and the child will be provided with resources from child safety groups. Nudity in a photo sent by a child will trigger a warning encouraging the child not to send the image.

Communication Safety is opt-in, privacy-focused, and must be enabled by parents. It is limited to the accounts of children, with detection done on-device, and it is not related to the anti-CSAM functionality that Apple has in development and may release in the future.

We have a full guide on Communication Safety in Messages that walks through exactly how it works, where it's used, Apple's privacy features, and more.

Update: Communication Safety in Messages is also coming to Canada.

Update 2: The feature is also coming to Australia and New Zealand, according to The Verge.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Top Rated Comments

fwmireault Avatar
42 months ago

and it is not related to the anti-CSAM functionality
Well, we all know how this thread will end up with the people who didn't read the multiple articles explaining the difference between CSAM and Communication Safety
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
42 months ago
Apple has no interest in releasing many services and features outside the US, but this...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KrisLord Avatar
42 months ago
Pleased to see this come to the UK.

My daughter is 10 and so this comes at just the right time.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nortonandreev Avatar
42 months ago
Extremely disappointing.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jakewilk Avatar
42 months ago

At least they say this is on-device and nothing is sent to Apple. But still, there is one functionality that would render these things useless, and it is called "Parenting"
What an incredibly naïve thing to say
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usagora Avatar
42 months ago

At least they say this is on-device and nothing is sent to Apple. But still, there is one functionality that would render these things useless, and it is called "Parenting"
Um, parenting can involve using technology like this to help protect your children from harmful content or behavior. Even children with outstanding parents are still children - curious, often immature, naive, and make mistakes. While this technology isn't foolproof, of course, it's still a great tool for parents to have at their disposal.

It's not an either-or thing.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)