Apple expanding safety features for children to more regions – Times of India

In 2021, with iOS 15.2, Apple introduced Communication Safety for Messages, an option to keep children safe online. The Communication Safety feature was initially made available for users in the US and later expanded to the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Now, Apple is expanding the feature to six additional countries, including Belgium, Netherlands and among others.
iCulture, a Dutch publication, reports that Communication Safety will be rolled out in Belgium and Netherlands in the coming weeks. Further, the feature will also be soon available in Japan, Sweden, South Korea, and Brazil.
Apple Communication Safety: What is it, how does it work and more
Apple says that communication safety is to help protect children from both viewing or sharing pictures containing nudity. The Messages app on the children’s iPhone or iPad does on-device scanning for pictures received or being sent.
If the Messages app detects such a photo being received or sent, the picture gets blurred, and the children are shown a prompt that the image is sensitive. The children are presented with guidance and resources, also an option to contact a grown-up if they need help.
Communication Safety for Messages is disabled by default. Also, the feature is strictly meant for children and has to be enabled by a parent. But, parents do not get notified if the children receive or choose to see any such pictures.
Here’s how to enable Communication Safety on your children’s iPhone:

For Communication Safety, Apple scans images on the device. Also, it does not compromise the end-to-end encryption in the Messages app; the messages remain encrypted. Apple has no access to messages or pictures on children’s iPhones.