WhatsApp Rolls Out New Parental Controls to Help Parents Monitor Teen Accounts

WhatsApp has rolled out a new set of optional parental controls designed to give parents greater oversight of how teenagers use the messaging platform. Under the new controls, parents can select privacy settings for teen accounts, including who can view a teenager’s profile photo or add them to groups. Parents can also receive alerts when their teen joins or leaves a group or when new members are added to a group the teen belongs to. Additional controls cover Channels and Status updates, including who can view or interact with them.

The new safety measures also extend to Meta AI, with parents able to choose between the default 13+ setting and a stricter Limited Content option. Teens will need approval from their parents through a PIN to change the selected settings. WhatsApp said the controls are designed to encourage conversations between parents and teenagers while preserving privacy. The company also stated that these safeguards do not affect end-to-end encryption, meaning personal messages and calls remain private. WhatsApp had previously introduced parent-managed accounts for children under 13, with the feature available on updated iPhone and Android versions of the app.