Apple is implementing age restrictions in the United Kingdom (UK) and South Korea at the device level via Apple ID, limiting users’ actions—such as downloading certain applications or changing safety settings—based on their age. “In some cases, certain actions might not be available until you turn 18,” it states, without clearly defining what “certain actions” means.
This development comes at a time when the UK Parliament is debating whether to ban social media for children.
What Apple’s Support page states:
- UK: “Adults will have to confirm that they’re 18 or older to use certain services or features, or take certain actions on their account.”
- South Korea: “To download or stream mature content through Apple services in South Korea, you must confirm that you’re at least legally 19 years old.”
Apple Services include: Apple TV, Music, the App Store, Arcade (games), Fitness, Podcasts, Books and One (cloud storage).
Default filters for web for unverified users and kids: “Web Content Filter and Communication Safety are automatically turned on for kids, teens, as well as adults who haven’t confirmed their age,” reads the UK’s support page. This means that the Apple-owned browser, Safari, can restrict access to content or websites that might be flagged under the UK’s Online Safety Act, such as adult or harmful sites. Apple may also block access to prohibited content in iMessages or iCloud.
However, South Korea’s version doesn’t specify this exactly. Apple states that it will prohibit users under 19 from accessing “mature content through Apple services.”
No Apple account for kids without parental consent: Both countries’ support pages state that children cannot create an Apple account without their parents’ or guardians’ consent and mandate that children’s accounts be linked to Family Sharing groups. In this context, South Korea states that children under 14 years old can’t create an Apple account, but at the same time restricts mature content until 19 years old. Similarly, in the UK, children under 13 can’t create an Apple account.
Users can use any of the following methods to verify their age:
- Existing information with Apple, like the age of the Apple account, or any already linked credit cards.
- Adding a credit card as a payment method will qualify a user as an adult. However, Apple exempted debit cards from this feature.
- Official IDs like driver’s licences or national ID, including Digital IDs based on US passports, are stored in Apple Wallet.
Why Apple is overcomplying: While Apple didn’t specify the exact Act under which it is rolling out this feature, the tech giant is likely complying with the UK’s Online Safety Act, which specifically applies to “social media companies and search services,” including adult websites and doesn’t cover smartphone manufacturers.
Ofcom worked “closely with Apple and other services” to protect users’ interests, it revealed. It told Engadget that “Apple’s decision that the UK will be one of the first countries in the world to receive new child safety protections on devices is a real win for children and families.”
Read more:
https://www.medianama.com/2026/03/223-apple-rolls-out-device-level-age-verification-uk-south-korea/