WhatsApp Adds Optional Parental Controls for Teens
WhatsApp has introduced optional parental controls that let parents and teenagers agree on privacy settings, receive updates about group activity and choose how teens use Meta AI, Channels and Status. The controls are designed to support conversations about online safety while keeping personal messages and calls protected by end-to-end encryption. The announcement follows WhatsApp’s parent-managed accounts for preteens, which are now available in Singapore.
Image: WhatsApp
Parents and teenagers set up the new controls together. Families can decide who sees a teen’s profile photo and who can add them to groups. If a teenager wants to relax those privacy settings, a parent must approve the change using a PIN.
Parents can also receive notifications when their teenager joins or leaves a group, or when a group grows in size. These updates give families a way to discuss their teen’s group activity.
The controls extend to other parts of the app. Parents and teens can choose the Meta AI experience and agree on how the teenager interacts with Channels and Status.
WhatsApp describes the tools as a way to guide teenagers and encourage conversations about online safety. The settings are optional, can be adjusted as a family’s needs change and can be switched off at any time.
Personal messages and calls remain protected by end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp says it cannot see or hear their contents, and the new controls do not give parents access to their teenager’s private chats.
The announcement follows the introduction of parent-managed accounts for younger users. Those accounts are now available in Singapore, while the new teen controls offer families another way to agree on how children use the messaging service.
