New iOS 17 feature will help protect your child’s eyes from long-term harm

Apple has eye safety in its sights with iOS 17

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Night Shift, True Tone and Dark Mode are just a few of the helpful iOS toolsApplehas introduced throughout the years to better protect your eyes from harm, andiOS 17will bring yet another eye-related safety feature to the table.

Screen Distance will alert you when you hold your iPhone or iPad Pro too close to your eyes for an extended period of time. Apple says the optional feature is designed to reduce general eye strain and, crucially, lower the risk of short-sightedness in children who use Apple devices regularly.

The recommended distance between your iPhone and your eyes is 40-45cm (or 16-18 inches). When enabled, Screen Distance will trigger an “iPhone is Too Close” warning if that distance drops below 30cm (12 inches). Once you move your iPhone back to a safe distance, a checkmark will appear on the screen, and you’ll be able to tap “Continue” to proceed as normal.

Apple’s Screen Distance warning will also be accompanied by a message reading, “Keeping your phone atarm’s length can protect your eyesight.” This is similar to the Headphone Safety feature introduced in iOS 14, which warns users against the dangers of prolonged exposure to loud noises when their iPhone’s volume crosses a certain threshold.

Once you’ve downloaded iOS 17 on your iPhone later this year, Screen Distance can be activated by heading into Settings and navigating to the Screen Time tab. From there, you’ll want to toggle the Screen Distance slider to the ‘on’ position.

Apple says Screen Distance will be available on all iPhone and iPad Pro models with Face ID, since the feature uses the same TrueDepth camera that powers Face ID to measure the distance between screen and eyes.

iOS 17 isn’t slated to arrive until September, but Apple’s presentation atWWDC 2023did give us an idea of the other features we can expect to see introduced with the company’s next major iOS overhaul.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Among the10 best iOS 17 featuresheading to iPhones in September are a suite ofiMessage-related upgrades that will widen the gap between Apple’s proprietary messaging service and SMS/RCS. For instance, theiOS 17 betagives iPhone users the ability to edit texts, reply in threads, and send iMessage-quality videos in group chats containing iPhone usersandAndroid users, and we expect at least some of those features to cross over into the final build of iOS 17.

iOS 17 will also introduce a newStandBy feature that turns your iPhone into a smart displayakin to anAmazon EchoShow or aGoogleNest Hub, and Live Voicemail will allow you to see – and interrupt – a live transcript of your calls as your caller records a voicemail message.

There are plenty more confirmed iOS 17 features to get excited about ahead of the update’s release later this year, but in the meantime, read up on thethree annoying iPhone issues addressed by iOS 16.5.1.

Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion. 

Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.

I’ve used Genmoji and now I’m convinced Apple Intelligence will be a huge success

iOS 18.2 could add Battery Intelligence to your iPhone, letting you know how long it will take to charge

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, November 10 (game #252)