parental consent Archives

AppWizard

February 26, 2026

Apple set to restrict apps by age in Australia

Adults in Australia will soon face new age verification requirements when downloading applications, similar to changes being implemented in Brazil, Singapore, and two U.S. states—Louisiana and Utah. Users will need to confirm their age through payment methods or by declaring an age range. This could restrict younger users from accessing apps even with parental consent if there is a mismatch in age verification. Apps like Discord and Meta’s Messenger have age ratings of 18+, preventing younger users from downloading them. Reddit is also classified for users 18 and over, despite potential eligibility for those aged 16 and older. The flexibility and implications of these age verification changes remain uncertain as further clarification is expected.

AppWizard

October 5, 2025

‘A threat to creative expression and social progress’: Advocacy groups respond to Roblox’s new ‘sensitive issues’ label

A coalition of advocacy organizations, including Women in Games, Out Making Games, and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Talent (BAME) in Games, has expressed concerns about Roblox's new "sensitive issues" label for user-generated content. They argue that this content filtering system represents a regression in creative freedom and social equity, framing equality and human rights as debatable rather than fundamental truths. The policy restricts access to content on certain topics for users under 13 without parental consent, but Roblox has not specified what these "sensitive issues" are, describing them only as current social, political, or religious topics that may provoke strong reactions. The groups find this vague labeling confusing, especially since Roblox previously incorporated ESRB ratings, and they question the effectiveness of an additional subjective filter when objective age ratings are available.

AppWizard

September 26, 2025

Meta activates Facebook ‘teen accounts’ worldwide

Meta has announced the global rollout of its "teen accounts" for users aged 13 to 17 on Facebook and Messenger, following a previous introduction in key English-speaking markets. Hundreds of millions of teens have been transitioned to these specialized accounts, which include enhanced security settings, content restrictions, and parental controls. The accounts feature built-in safeguards to limit interactions with strangers and control accessible content, while restrictions for users under 16 cannot be lifted without explicit parental consent. This initiative aims to address concerns about the impact of social media on young people.

AppWizard

September 25, 2025

Meta rolls out teen accounts for Facebook and Messenger across the world

Meta is transitioning more teenagers on Facebook and Messenger to specialized "teen accounts," which include enhanced parental controls and protective measures. Hundreds of millions of teenagers are using these accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. The rollout, which began on Instagram a year ago, has expanded globally and is now mandatory for all teens, requiring parental consent for younger teens aged 13 to 15 to modify safety-related settings. Meta uses artificial intelligence to identify users misrepresenting their age. Parents can monitor their children's interactions, screen time, and messaging insights through these accounts, which also feature stricter privacy settings. Additionally, Instagram is expanding its program to facilitate the reporting of bullying in US middle and high schools. Meta's efforts to enhance parental control features and youth safety come amid ongoing lawsuits and investigations regarding the company's protection of children online.

AppWizard

September 25, 2025

Meta rolls out Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger globally

Meta has expanded its Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger globally, initially launched in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. These accounts include built-in protections and parental controls, requiring parental consent for users under 16 to modify settings. Key features include messaging restrictions, limited story visibility, confined tags and comments, daily usage reminders, and a "Quiet mode" for healthier habits. Despite these measures, a study indicates ongoing risks of distressing content for young users, which Meta contests. Additionally, Meta has launched the School Partnership Program for educators to report safety issues directly to Instagram, now open to all U.S. middle and high schools.

Winsage

August 26, 2025

Windows 11 24H2 and Windows 10 Hit by Severe Lag After Microsoft’s August 2025 Update

Windows 11 Version 24H2, also known as the 2024 Update, is being rolled out to users via Windows Update. Eligible devices can check for the update in Settings > Windows Update. Devices running Windows 10 and Windows 11 versions 23H2, 22H2, and 21H2 will receive the update automatically, with options to schedule or postpone restarts. Copilot+ PCs will receive new AI features through the Windows Insider program, with availability varying by hardware and region. Users can seek help with update issues via the Get Help app or Microsoft support website. Known issues include: 1. NDI streaming performance degradation with OBS and NDI Tools (Confirmed). 2. WSUS installation failure for the August 2025 security update (Resolved). 3. WUSA installs failing from shared folders (Mitigated). 4. CertificateServicesClient error events (Confirmed). 5. Missing parental consent prompt for non-Edge browsers (Mitigated). 6. Easy Anti-Cheat causing blue screens (Resolved). 7. Incompatibility with sprotect.sys driver (Confirmed). 8. Dirac Audio devices losing audio output (Confirmed). 9. Camera use hanging apps on select devices (Confirmed). 10. Intel Smart Sound Technology driver causing blue screens (Confirmed). Workarounds and fixes are suggested for several issues, including switching NDI Receive Mode and copying .msu files locally for installation. Devices with certain drivers are blocked from receiving the update until compatibility issues are resolved.

Winsage

June 26, 2025

Microsoft confirms Family Safety blocks Google Chrome from launching

Microsoft's Family Safety parental control service is experiencing a significant issue that prevents users from launching Google Chrome and other web browsers on Windows systems. This problem has been reported since early June, with users facing unexpected crashes when trying to access Google Chrome. A bug in the web filtering tool requires children to seek parental approval to use alternative browsers, as new versions of approved browsers are inadvertently blocked after updates. Microsoft is updating its block list to include the latest versions of these browsers. The issue affects devices running Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 22H2 or later. Users are advised to enable the 'Activity reporting' feature to ensure proper parental approval requests. Microsoft is working to resolve the absence of consent prompts and the unintentional blocking of updated browser versions.

AppWizard

April 11, 2025

Meta Expands Teen Safety Protections to Facebook and Messenger

Meta Platforms Inc. is implementing new safety and privacy measures for users under 16 on its platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. These measures include prohibiting teens from hosting live videos without parental consent and banning the sharing of images with suspected nudity via direct messages. Additionally, Meta is introducing "Teen Accounts" on Facebook and Messenger, which will have stricter privacy settings, following a similar rollout on Instagram.

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

Meta Is Expanding Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger

Meta has expanded its Teen Accounts, initially launched on Instagram, to Facebook and Messenger in the United States, the UK, Australia, and Canada. Users under 18 will automatically transition to these accounts, receiving notifications about the changes. Teen Accounts will include protective features similar to those on Instagram, with new restrictions for users under 16, such as needing parental consent to live broadcast and to disable nudity image blurring in direct messages. A significant 97% of users aged 13-15 maintain default protections on their accounts. For teens under 16, parental permission is required for account changes, and parents can establish supervision through the Family Center feature, allowing them to manage permissions while respecting the teen's privacy.

AppWizard

April 8, 2025

Meta expands Instagram parental controls and brings them to Facebook

Individuals under the age of 16 will no longer have access to Instagram's live-streaming feature without obtaining parental consent. Users under 16 will also need parental permission to disable a feature that automatically blurs images suspected of containing nudity in direct messages. Teen Accounts, which are set to private and have limited messaging capabilities, were introduced last September, and approximately 54 million teenagers worldwide have transitioned to these accounts. Similar Teen Account features are being rolled out to Facebook and Facebook Messenger.