Facetime without a phone number may be a loophole pedophiles and kidnappers can use to lure their victims. They have AI apps now to create voices to mimic kids parents voices or someone they know. This is a big problem that needs to be addressed. I just watched a video on YouTube where a child almost got taken. Here’s the link : https://youtube.com/shorts/HOl28dQSSiY?si=7Ah0XMbtPcYtwjJR
iPhone 11, iOS 18
Parents should be using Parental Controls that will prevent communication from any unknown person not in their Contacts and be monitoring their child's use of the internet. That would not allow communication whether that person sounds like a familiar person or not. The iPhone/Facetime or any other internet device is not a substitute for responsible parenting and the internet is the Wild West that is not safe for unsupervised communications by children. It never has been!
Use parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
And a phone number requirement would not even help, as those are just created using a VOIP app and don't even identify the person who is making the call. That is why parents need to be proactive on who they allow their child to communicate with.
Parents should be using Parental Controls that will prevent communication from any unknown person not in their Contacts and be monitoring their child's use of the internet. That would not allow communication whether that person sounds like a familiar person or not. The iPhone/Facetime or any other internet device is not a substitute for responsible parenting and the internet is the Wild West that is not safe for unsupervised communications by children. It never has been!
Use parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
And a phone number requirement would not even help, as those are just created using a VOIP app and don't even identify the person who is making the call. That is why parents need to be proactive on who they allow their child to communicate with.
One large issue here is parents (and other adults) watching YouTube and social media other similar media, and for some I’d suggest blocking that access. Adults are wired to fear, and that fear is immensely profitable, and very effective. Things that are very unlikely get coverage, and more common events don’t. Most adults don’t even know they are being exploited here, too. Then we get into romance scams and phishing and push-polls and anti-science and the rest. Too many of us adults just aren’t good at 2026.
Yes, I’m absolutely serious.
For instance, have y’all blocked automatically blocking Apple Cash payments? Spent some time reading r/scams to learn about common scams? Got your (and your child’s) backups configured?
As for kids, there are guides available for that, including restricting communications access, including enabling Ask to Buy, blocking various media (quite possibly including blocking YouTube), and related steps.
Creating Apple ID without a phone number is a loophole for Kidnappers.
