FaceTime Safety Guide

Overview

FaceTime is Apple's video and audio calling service, built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It supports one-to-one and group video calls of up to 32 participants, screen sharing, SharePlay for watching content together, and FaceTime audio. Because calls are tied to a phone number or Apple ID, anyone who has those details can attempt to ring the child. The 'Silence Unknown Callers' setting reduces unsolicited contact but does not block it, and FaceTime links can also be created and shared in messages, allowing wider invitations into a call.

How children use it

Children use FaceTime to video call grandparents, see friends after school, and join group calls during homework or while gaming on another device. Older children leave FaceTime running in the background for hours as a kind of co-presence, treating it like sitting in the same room. Many use SharePlay to watch a film or share a screen, and some use it as a quieter alternative to social media DMs. The pull-down notification preview can also display message contents from people in the call, so children sometimes share more on a FaceTime than they would in a written chat.

Main risks

Recommended privacy settings

Parent actions

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