Parent safety news.
App changes, platform alerts, and parental-control updates — reviewed and summarized for parents.
Every item is reviewed before it publishes — not an automated feed. Items cover app policy changes, new platform features (parental controls that work and ones that don't), and legislation that changes what parents can do to protect kids online.
Each item is tagged by urgency: Urgent means act tonight, Watch means flag for your next check-in, Low is context only. For a triage of the specific apps your child uses, the free safety check takes about 30 seconds.
Recently highlighted
- Spotify launches free kids accounts with parental controls →
- Xbox Family Settings now on iPhone and iPad →
- Illinois law: new rules for social media and minors →
- ChatGPT deactivates teen accounts, notifies parents →
- Former Meta engineer: Instagram ignored under-13 accounts →
- Chatbot Act may limit AI chatbot parental controls →
August 2026
Uber Adds Live Video Streaming for Teen Rider Accounts
Review Uber's settings for your teen's account to understand the live video streaming feature. Check our age-by-age safety guide for guidance on live sharing and video streaming features appropriate for your teen's age.
Aug 26, 2026TikTok Settles $400M Child-Safety Lawsuit with U.S. Government
Review and set up TikTok Family Pairing to manage your child's account and viewing experience. Refer to the TikTok Family Pairing — Complete Setup Guide for step-by-step instructions.
Aug 24, 2026Former Meta Engineer Says Instagram Ignored Under-13 Accounts
Review your child's account using the "Instagram Teen Accounts & Parental Supervision — Complete Setup Guide" to understand current protections and supervision options available to you.
Aug 20, 2026OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Experience Designed for Teens
Review OpenAI's teen ChatGPT offering and settings with your teen if they use it. Refer to the ChatGPT Parental Controls — Complete Setup Guide for monitoring and boundary-setting options.
Aug 19, 2026Meta removes 756,000 Australian teen accounts under new age-restriction law
If your teen uses Meta platforms, check whether their account may be affected depending on your location. Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand age-appropriate social media use and what platforms are designed for in your region.
Aug 13, 2026New Jersey Kids Code Act Gives Parents Right to Sue Tech Companies Over Data Violations
Review what data your child's apps and services collect and how they use it. Consult our age-by-age safety guide for app-specific privacy tips and what to watch for with each platform your child uses.
Aug 13, 202611-Year-Old Used AI to Build a Browser, Bypassing Parental Controls
Review your approach to parental controls: treat them as one layer, not a complete barrier. Pair any technical restrictions with open conversations about why limits exist and what you're concerned about. Refer to our age-by-age safety guide for devel
Aug 10, 202639 Parental Control Apps Found Sending Data to Overseas Server
Check which parental control app you use (if any) and visit the vendor's privacy policy to understand where your family's data is stored and who can access it. Cross-reference your app against recent security news to confirm it's not among those flag
Aug 10, 2026Google Wallet launches parent-controlled digital allowance for kids
Set up a Google Wallet account for your child and load a specific allowance amount. Review our age-by-age safety guide to determine if digital payment is appropriate for your child's age and maturity level.
Aug 7, 2026Senate Advances Kids Online Safety Act, Age-Verification Measure Stalls
Familiarize yourself with what KOSA proposes and track its progress toward a full Senate vote. Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand which platform risks affect your own kids' age group, so you can reinforce those conversations as regulati
Aug 6, 2026All 50 U.S. States Have Introduced Digital Media Regulation Bills for Kids
Check which bills have advanced in your state by tracking the UC Davis database, then review our age-by-age safety guide to understand what protections are most relevant for your child's current stage.
Aug 5, 2026Early social media use linked to lower school test performance
Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand recommended ages for different platforms, and discuss with your child why delays in social-media access may support their academic focus.
Aug 3, 2026Illinois law sets new rules for how social media platforms interact with minors
Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand baseline protections you should expect from apps your child uses, then check your family's privacy and notification settings in line with what's now required in Illinois.
Aug 2, 2026CHATBOT Act may limit parental control options for managing AI chatbot access
Review our age-by-age safety guide to clarify what controls you want to set for your child's AI chatbot use, then monitor policy developments on this legislation to understand how it may affect your options.
Aug 1, 2026July 2026
Google expands age-assurance API for Android app developers
Review what apps your child uses and check their privacy settings. If an app serves age-gated content (games, social platforms, video apps), look for any new age-verification prompts and follow them. See our "Google Family Link — Complete Android Par
Jul 30, 2026New York SAFE for Kids Act sets youth online safety requirements
Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand which platforms your child uses and what privacy and notification settings are now required or recommended to be available. Check those platforms' privacy and notification settings to ensure they match
Jul 29, 2026US appeals court blocks part of Texas children's online safety law
Stay aware that age-verification requirements for social media may change based on ongoing legal challenges. Use our age-by-age safety guide to set appropriate limits and conversations with your child regardless of platform policies.
Jul 27, 2026WhatsApp makes parental controls easier to find in the app
Look for parental controls in a more visible location in WhatsApp's main menu or settings. Refer to the "WhatsApp Parental Controls — Complete Setup Guide for the New Parent-Managed Accounts" guide to set up parent-managed accounts if you haven't alr
Jul 25, 2026TikTok faces EU charges over child safety rule violations
Review TikTok's built-in parental controls if your child uses the app. If you have a teen on TikTok, walk through the TikTok Family Pairing — Complete Setup Guide to set appropriate restrictions on content and messaging.
Jul 24, 2026Twitch launches parental controls to restrict teen streaming
Review the "Twitch Parental Controls — Complete Setup Guide" to learn how to enable these controls on your teen's account, if you want to restrict their streaming activity.
Jul 21, 2026Meta Adds Parental Supervision Tools to Threads
If your teen uses Threads, visit your Family Center settings (shared across Meta apps) to enable parental supervision. See the "Threads" guide for details on how this feature works and what you can monitor.
Jul 21, 2026France passes social media ban for children under 15
Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand what's age-appropriate and to discuss with your child why platforms set age minimums—whether legally required or by terms of service.
Jul 21, 2026Spotify Wrapped now lets parents review kids' listening before sharing
Review your child's Spotify Wrapped with them before they share it on social media. Pair this with the parental controls in our "Set Up Spotify Parental Controls and Block Explicit Content" guide to manage what music is available to them in the first place.
Jul 19, 2026ChatGPT Deactivates Teen Accounts for Violent Threats and Notifies Parents
Review your teen's ChatGPT account status if they use the platform. If an account has been deactivated, check the notification from OpenAI for details on what triggered the action. Use the "ChatGPT Parental Controls — Complete Setup Guide" to configure monitoring and oversight settings on any active accounts.
Jul 18, 2026ChatGPT adds break reminders and expanded parental controls for teen users
Review the ChatGPT Parental Controls — Complete Setup Guide to enable these new controls for your teen's account and decide which supervision settings work for your family.
Jul 17, 2026Instagram Parental Controls: Meta AI Now Alerts Parents to Teen Distress
Check your Family Center settings (if you're already supervising your teen's Instagram account). Review "Meta AI Parental Controls — The Complete Step-by-Step Guide (April 2026)" to understand which conversations trigger alerts and how to enable this feature for your teen.
Jul 16, 2026League of Legends adds optional parental control tools
If your child plays League of Legends, check the in-game parental controls settings after the patch rolls out. Review our age-by-age safety guide to decide whether these tools match your family's needs and your child's age.
Jul 16, 2026Bipartisan bill proposed to standardize parental controls across children's devices
Review the parental control options available on each device your child uses, and reference our age-by-age safety guide to determine what restrictions make sense for your family right now.
Jul 16, 2026Spotify launches free accounts with parental controls for kids
Set up your child's free Spotify account using the parental controls available on their profile. Review the "Set Up Spotify Parental Controls and Block Explicit Content" guide to understand available restrictions.
Jul 15, 2026UK Schools Receive Updated Child Safety Guidance for 2026
Review your school's updated safeguarding and online-safety policies when they're shared, and talk to your child about what online-safety rules and expectations their school is implementing. Reference our age-by-age safety guide for home-based conversations that align with school efforts.
Jul 14, 2026Roblox Adds Family Zone for Shared Play with Parental Oversight
Review Roblox's Family Zone setup through your parental controls dashboard. Then work through the "Roblox Parental Controls — Complete Setup Guide for the 2026 Account System" guide to ensure all safety settings match your family's needs.
Jul 14, 2026Meta suspended its Instagram AI-image feature — the lesson for public teen accounts stays
Two things tonight. 1) In Instagram → Settings → Account privacy, set your teen's account to Private — private posts stay out of public-image AI tools. 2) Talk through why anything posted publicly can be copied, reposted, or fed into AI, even when a company says a feature is switched off.
Jul 13, 2026Xbox Family Settings app now available on iPhone and iPad
Download Xbox Family Settings from the App Store if your child uses Xbox. Set playtime limits and content restrictions for their console account; pair this with "Apple Screen Time — The Complete Parent Setup Guide" to coordinate device and app limits across their iPhone, iPad, and Xbox.
Jul 8, 2026Supreme Court Allows Texas Age Verification and Parental Consent Law
Check your state's laws on app access for minors—enforcement rules are evolving. Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand what apps and features are appropriate for your child's age, independent of legal requirements.
Jul 7, 2026June 2026
US House passes youth online safety legislation
Review our age-by-age safety guide to understand the current risks your child faces online while these regulations develop, and identify which safety tools you can enable today on the platforms they actually use.
Jun 30, 2026Android 17 Builds Parental Controls Right Into Settings
When your child's phone updates to Android 17, open Settings to set screen time and downtime, then finish in Family Link — our Google Family Link guide walks the full setup.
Jun 17, 2026May 2026
Discord now encrypts all voice and video calls end-to-end by default
You don't need to do anything—the protection is automatic—but understand that Discord calls are now more private by default.
May 19, 2026Meta announced new parental oversight tools for Instagram that let parents see what content their teens are viewing and engaging with.
Check Instagram's parental controls settings this month to learn what data is available to you and whether your teen's account is set up to share it with your parent account.
May 13, 2026Wibto is a location-based running game where kids claim and compete for real-world territories in their neighborhood using GPS.
Ask your kid about the app if they're using it, review the neighborhoods they're running in, and remind them that losing virtual territory is not worth going to unsafe areas or running at dangerous times.
May 5, 2026April 2026
Meta is rolling out new parental supervision tools designed to let parents see how their teens interact with AI features on Instagram and Facebook.
Check your teen's account settings under parental controls to see if the new AI visibility tools have been added and enable them if you have Teen Account supervision set up. Check out our full guide on the new tools.
Apr 23, 2026Roblox rolled out age-based accounts and new parental controls for users under 16.
Log into your child's Roblox account today to review and adjust the new parental controls in the account settings, so they match your family's rules.
Apr 22, 2026Fridge is a new social habit-tracking app.
Try the app yourself or ask your teen to walk you through how their habits and progress are visible to friends, and discuss what kinds of habits they plan to share before they start using it.
Apr 21, 2026YouTube adds enhanced parental controls, offers tips to families
If you’ve got kids on YouTube, this is worth a quick read
Apr 21, 2026What Is Sextortion — And What to Do If It Happens to Your Child
If this has happened to your child: (1) Do NOT pay — payment never stops the threats. (2) Stop all contact with the person threatening them. (3) Take screenshots of all messages as evidence. (4) Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. (5) Contact the platform where it happened — Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, etc. — and report the account. (6) Remind your child this is not their fault and you are not angry with them. If your child hasn't experienced this: talk about it now, before it happens. Ask "What would you do if someone online asked you for a photo and then threatened you?" Having that conversation once dramatically increases the chance they come to you if it ever happens.
Apr 18, 2026How Teens Turn Off Location Sharing Without Parents Noticing
Check your child's phone for these signs: Settings → Privacy → Location Services — look for any location-sensitive apps set to "Never". Check Settings → Battery — if Low Power Mode toggles on and off frequently, investigate why. The most reliable approach is not location tracking alone but a combination of check-in calls, knowing their friends' parents, and having established trust through conversation.
Apr 18, 2026The Secondary Account Problem: How Teens Hide Their Real Social Media
Ask your child directly: "Do you have more than one account on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok?" A direct question is more effective than searching. On their phone, check Settings → [Instagram/Snapchat/TikTok] — some apps list all logged-in accounts. On iPhone, check Settings → Passwords for saved logins to social apps with unfamiliar usernames.
Apr 18, 2026Google Docs Is Being Used as a Secret Chat App
Open your child's Google Drive and look at recent documents. Check the comment history (View → Comments) on any doc that seems to have frequent recent edits. Have a direct conversation about why they're using school tools to hide communication.
Apr 18, 2026Free VPN Apps Teens Use to Bypass Screen Time and Content Filters
Search your child's phone for "VPN" in Settings (iPhone: Settings → VPN will show any installed VPN profiles). On Android: Settings → Network → VPN. On iPhone, also check Screen Time → Always Allowed to make sure VPN apps aren't exempted from restrictions. Disable VPN installation: Settings → Screen Time → Content & Privacy → Allowed Apps → turn off VPN.
Apr 18, 2026Calculator Vault Apps: The Hidden Photo and Video Storage Parents Miss
Search your child's phone for: "Calculator+", "Calc+", "Keepsafe", "Private Photo Vault", "Secret Photo Vault". On iPhone, swipe down on the home screen and search each name. Check if your child has more than one calculator app — the real one and a vault version.
Apr 18, 2026