HT201272 If I create separate Apple IDs for my children, will they still be able to access content I have purchased on their iPhones and iPads?

Question

If I create separate Apple IDs for my children, will they still be able to access content I have purchased on their iPhones and iPads?

Answer 1

I happened to stop at the Apple store yesterday for a separate issue and had a discussion about iCloud. Seems like this is how iCloud works (also, there's another thread on this forum that explains it well).
Each member of the family can have their own iCloud ID, which will be used for Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Apps, Bookmarks, Media, Photos, etc. and having this content synced automatically with a Mac (computer). The iCloud IDs work in tandem with the associated Apple ID — so while you cannot have multiple Apple IDs, you can certainly have multiple iCloud IDs tagged with a certain Apple ID.
While all this makes sense from the iOS device standpoint, I'm unclear on how things will sync with a Mac computer, especially if the family uses a single iMac with multiple login IDs for various members. For instance, I currently have an iMac and iTunes content resides in my Public folder, which my wife can still access when she logs in with her login ID. I'm guessing that I'll be able to set up her iCloud ID using her login, set up my iCloud ID using my login, while both our iMac logins will retain the same Apple ID. This would take care of syncing Photos, Contacts, Calendars, etc.
Another (not sure if unique) problem I face is our Address Book — right now, we have one GIANT address book with different groups set up. Certain groups sync to her iPhone, while others to mine. Some contacts are common between both of us. I'm hoping that if she/I updates a common contact, then the change will be reflected in both our groups of contacts. I hope this makes sense — for instance, I update a contact named Joe, and he's on my group of contacts in my iPhone. Hope iCloud updates the master contact card for Joe on the iMac, which would then automatically trigger the update on my wife's group of contacts—that Joe also belongs to— leading to an update on her iOS device as well.
Apologies for the lengthy response..