Apple Promises to Fix Long-Ignored Parental Control Bug After Media Spotlight

Apple will finally address a Safari restriction workaround that has been around for years after the bug was highlighted by The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern. Kids who are restricted from viewing certain websites with the Screen Time feature are able to paste a string of characters in the address bar in Safari in order to get around parental controls.

screen time restrictions
In a report on Screen Time, Stern says that she was able to use a string of characters on her son's iPad, bypassing the restrictions that prevent access to websites with pornography, violent images, and more. She was able to get around Screen Time on devices running iOS and iPadOS 15, 16, and 17, as well as macOS Sonoma.

In a statement to Stern, Apple said that it is aware of an "issue with an underlying web technology protocol for developers, which allows a user to bypass web content restrictions." A fix is planned for "the next software update."

Security researchers that spoke to Stern said the bug was first reported to Apple in March of 2021, after it was found that inputting a string of characters would get around website restrictions implemented by parents and web blacklists on company devices. The hack worked to bypass restrictions on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Apple told the researchers that it was not a security issue, and instead directed them to submit a report using the Feedback tool. After the report was submitted, there was no word back from Apple. Attempting to resubmit the bug to Apple was met with no response.

Apple ignored the issue for three years until Stern was contacted and publicized the problem. It appears that the workaround was not well-known or widely exploited, as the two security researchers that discovered it never shared it.

In addition to promising a fix, Apple said that it is committed to improving the process that's used to receive and escalate bug reports.

Stern's report highlights several other bugs with Screen Time, including issues with app limits, Screen Time usage charts, notifications for more time, and Ask to Buy. Apple improved Screen Time with iOS 17.5, implementing fixes for app and device usage tracking, app limits, and time requests, but the company says there will be additional updates in upcoming software releases.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...

Top Rated Comments

GtrDude Avatar
12 months ago
Unfortunately that's what it takes for them to be even remotely interested.
Just a few hundred people complaining means nothing.
Same company that is constantly repeating how they listen to their users.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TracesOfArsenic Avatar
12 months ago
This had better not take away time from emoji development.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goonie4life9 Avatar
12 months ago
Not to worry, everyone, for the official Apple Support script is out:
[LIST=1]
* This is not a known issue.
* Restart your device.
* If that doesn’t resolve the issue, force restart your device.
* If that doesn’t resolve the issue, erase your device and set it up as new using a computer. If you don’t have a computer, ask a friend because no further troubleshooting will be provided unless you do this.
* If that doesn’t resolve the issue, you’ll need to do an RTA to Engineering. After 48 hr, Engineering will reply that this is a known issue, keep your device up to date, not further troubleshooting will be provided, and no further comment will be made.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Idgit Avatar
12 months ago

Security researchers that spoke to Stern said the bug was first reported to Apple in March of 2021, after it was found that inputting a string of characters would get around website restrictions implemented by parents and web blacklists on company devices. The hack worked to bypass restrictions on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
I thought customer security was of utmost importance to Craig Federighi and Apple. Maybe drop the yearly OS release schedule, Craig, and fix some damn bugs.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yustas Avatar
12 months ago

I've always wondered how much dev resources Apple puts into Screen Time.
Probably less than counting how many cores the iPad has.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
12 months ago
I've always wondered how much dev resources Apple puts into Screen Time. There's clearly a conflict of interest. On one hand, Apple wants to tick the box and appease the media. But do they really care when more screen time means higher revenue?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)