App Stores and the Online Safety Act: Approve Downloads Today

The UK government is deciding whether app stores such as the Apple App Store and Google Play should come under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom has flagged a report that will look at whether extra age checks or other measures in app stores would better protect children. That decision will take time, but your child is downloading apps now. You can set up protection on their device today.

What is being decided

At the moment, most of the Online Safety Act’s duties fall on the services where people share content, such as social media, video and messaging platforms. Ofcom’s October 2026 bulletin says its upcoming report will feed into a decision by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on whether app stores should be brought into scope.

Whatever the outcome, the controls already built into phones and tablets are yours to use now. They let you decide what gets installed before a child ever opens an app.

Why the app store matters

The app store is the front door to almost everything your child uses. Age ratings are a useful guide, but they are set by developers and the stores, and they describe what an app is meant for. They do not stop a child from installing something you would rather they didn’t.

Download approvals put a pause in place. Your child asks, you look, and you decide together.

Set up download approvals on iPhone and iPad

You will need Apple Family Sharing set up with your child’s Apple ID. Then:

1. Open Settings and tap your child’s name under Family.
2. Tap Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turn it on.