Apple’s child protection functions can be circumvented using tricks. This has been stated by Südwestrundfunk and Stiftung Warentest after joint research. Of course, this is not a new discovery. As early as July 2024, interested people were able to read on Mac and i that the “Supportive Access” operating assistance can be used for other purposes to bypass the active lock. However, it is still possible to override Screen Time in iOS 18 and many other sub-versions.
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With iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the “Given Access” accessibility feature was recently introduced in the Apple operating system. It actually serves a great purpose, namely making the device easier to use. This should make the iPhone and iPad more useful for people with cognitive disabilities. Among other things, this is achieved by removing significantly larger app icons and distracting elements such as Control Center and notifications.
oversimplification
However, since gamification can result in user assistance automatically overriding app limits, it can be used for other purposes to circumvent Screen Time rules. If they set up accessibility features themselves, kids can freely choose among installed apps. In the worst case – according to Mac&i research – you can even configure the mode so that parents can’t easily end it.
According to the report by Stiftung Warentest, Apple apparently wants to investigate why it was possible to initiate Assistant Access in “some cases” without entering the Screen Time password. Currently, parents can help themselves by not installing certain apps at all on the device and restricting app installation to keep their children away from them. Or they can set up “Assistant Access” themselves and secure it with a code – but this may displease children due to the significantly different operation and cause usability issues with some apps.
Content filters are full of holes
One more thing, SWR and Stiftung Warentest are currently addressing thisThere are gaps in the Screen Time content filter. The problem here appears to lie primarily in the interaction of Apple’s Settings with third-party apps. While Apple’s own offerings reliably implemented youth protections in the test, for example, it was still possible to load inappropriate content on YouTube and Spotify, even with the filters turned on.
Apparently the providers do not use the programming interface (API) offered by Apple for Screen Time. So the difference is less a functional issue than a communication issue: Testers criticize that Apple doesn’t make it clear to parents that the filter doesn’t work across the board.
(MKI)
