How to Use Ask to Browse in iOS 27 to Keep Your Kids Safer Online Without Constantly Checking Their iPhone

A new parental control in iOS 27 lets kids request access to blocked websites directly from their device.

Instead of manually updating Safari restrictions on the child’s phone, parents can approve or deny requests straight from their own iPhone.

The feature, called Ask to Browse, works through a combination of Screen Time and Family Sharing.

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How to Turn On Ask to Browse

When a child tries to open a website blocked by parental content settings, Safari presents a request screen.

The child taps to send the request, and a notification lands in the parent’s Messages app within seconds. From there, parents approve or deny access with a single tap.

For families who have dealt with the friction of managing web restrictions, that workflow is a meaningful shift.

Previously, adjusting what a child could access in Safari typically meant opening Screen Time settings, navigating into content restrictions, and manually updating the allowed list. Ask to Browse replaces that back-and-forth with an on-demand approval system.

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Who Gets It Automatically

Children under 13 in a Family Sharing group have Ask to Browse switched on by default when running iOS 27.

Parents managing accounts for older children can enable it manually through Settings, under Screen Time and the child’s individual account. The exact menu path may shift slightly before iOS 27 exits beta.

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What Parents Need to Set Up

Both the parent and child must be in the same Family Sharing group, and Screen Time needs to be active on the child’s account before Ask to Browse functions. The feature only applies to Safari, not third-party browsers.

Parents can review and revoke previously approved sites at any point through Screen Time without needing access to the child’s device.

The approval notification arrives in Messages, which means parents can respond from wherever they are, whether at work or in another room, without interrupting what the child is doing on their device.

Ask to Browse is part of a broader set of family-focused updates Apple is shipping with iOS 27, which also includes additional Screen Time changes aimed at giving parents more granular oversight without requiring constant manual management.