Enhance child safety with PermissionKit

Prerequisites

• Your app has some kind of communication functionality

• PermissionKit should only be used when you know the current user is a child, so:

• Your app can determine the age or age range of users (or use the new DeclaredAgeRange API)

• Learn more: Deliver ageappropriate experiences in your app

• PermissionKit leverages the family sharing group, so same group is a requirements

• Additionally, parents/guardians must enable Communication Limits for child

Meet PermissionKit

• New framework for easy & consistent permission experiences between requester and permission authority

• Helps start a conversation in Messages with guardians in family sharing group

• In your app, child can request to communicate with someone new over Messages

• Parents can approve or decline childs request to communicate right in Messages

Tailor your UI for children

• If your app has a social chat feature, your app should hide unknown senders

• This includes message previews, profile pictures, and other potentially sensitive content

• Use CommunicationLimits.current.knownHandles(in:) method to find known senders in array

• You can skip this step if you already have that data in your own systems, but make sure to hide unknown senders

Crate an “ask” experience

• Create a PermissionRequest with a handle (like phone number or username)

import PermissionKit

var question = PermissionQuestion(handles: [
   CommunicationHandle(value: "dragonslayer42", kind: .custom),
   CommunicationHandle(value: "progamer67", kind: .custom)
])

• Add as much metadata as possible via CommunicationTopic to give guardians more context

• Specify the type of actions requested, such as.message, .call, .video

import PermissionKit

let people = [
    PersonInformation(
        handle: CommunicationHandle(value: "dragonslayer42", kind: .custom),
        nameComponents: nameComponents,
        avatarImage: profilePic
    ),
    PersonInformation(
        handle: CommunicationHandle(value: "progamer67", kind: .custom)
    )
]

var topic = CommunicationTopic(personInformation: people)
topic.actions = [.message]

var question = PermissionQuestion(communicationTopic: topic)

• Use the CommunicationLimitsButton inside SwiftUI with a PermissionQuestion

• Upon pressing the button, a system prompt with “Ask to Approve” and “Approve in Persion” will appear

• UIKit/AppKit apps can use CommunicationLimits.current.ask(in:) method passing a ViewController/NSWindow

Parent/guardian responses

• Check CommunicationLImits.current.updates async sequence to get notified when parent responded

• Child can optionally add a name for the person to be contacted (to add to Contacts app)

• Child will receive a notification upon parent responding

• Your app is responsible for updating UI based on answer or updating contact info on your servers

Other consideration

• Get inspired by PermissionKit to add same safety for children on other platforms (like Web)

• New SensitiveContentAnalysis API to detect & block nudity in media calls

• New DeclaredAgeRange API allows you to provide age-appropriate experiences for kids

• The ScreenTime framework gives guardians tools to supervise childrens

• The FamilyControls is for thos to provide their own parental controls