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Apple’s Family Sharing Under Scrutiny for Single-Organizer Control in Custody Disputes

A WIRED investigation found Apple would not move minors to a new group without the organizer’s consent despite a custody order.

Overview

  • A custodial mother said her ex, set as the Family Sharing organizer, monitored the children’s locations and enforced Screen Time limits during her custody days.
  • Apple support told her they could not override the organizer to transfer the children, and the company declined detailed comment beyond pointing to support documents.
  • Google’s Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety follow similar single-organizer assumptions, and both companies offered only broad statements about documentation or escalation.
  • Standard advice to escape the setup involves creating new Apple IDs, which can erase purchases, photos, messages, and years of digital history for children and parents.
  • Experts urge fixes such as dual-organizer roles, a custody-order override, audit logs, lossless child transfers, and specialist support escalation, but no company has announced changes.