Children's Chatting Is Now Secure: WhatsApp Introduces Parent Control Account Feature..
On Wednesday, WhatsApp announced the launch of a new feature that will allow parents or guardians to exercise greater control over their children's accounts. The objective of this feature is to ensure that children under the age of 13 can utilize the app solely for messaging and calling within a secure environment. According to the company, this feature—dubbed "Parent-Managed Accounts"—will be rolled out gradually over the coming months. It has been developed based on input from families and online safety experts to make the app-using experience safer for young children.
Stricter Privacy Settings for Children
This new account type has been designed specifically for children under the age of 13. Such accounts will be created and managed by parents or guardians and will be linked to their own WhatsApp accounts. According to the company, these accounts will feature stricter privacy settings and more limited functionality compared to standard accounts. Children will be restricted to sending private messages and making voice calls, thereby ensuring they remain connected only with family members and trusted individuals. Additionally, parents will be able to monitor which groups their child joins.
Several Features Will Be Unavailable in Children's Accounts
Certain popular features will not be available in Parent-Managed Accounts. These include functionalities such as Status updates, Channels, and Meta AI. Furthermore, the "Disappearing Messages" option will remain disabled for one-on-one chats. Messages received from unknown numbers will be routed directly to a "Message Requests" folder. Access to this folder will be restricted and can only be unlocked using the parent's PIN. Additionally, if the child adds a new contact, blocks a user, or reports an account, the parents will be notified of these actions.
End-to-End Encryption for Security
Despite all these restrictions, the company states that children's accounts will feature the same end-to-end encryption used across the entire platform. This means that children's conversations will also remain secure and private.
How to Create a Parent-Managed Account
If parents wish to create a WhatsApp account for their child, they can select the "Parent-Managed Account" option during the sign-up process. To do this, the child's date of birth must be entered.
Both the parent's phone and the child's phone will be required during the account setup phase to ensure that the two accounts can be linked. Additionally, parents will need to verify that they are adults. This may sometimes involve identity verification via a selfie.
Once the setup is complete, parents will be able to manage their child's account using the parental controls and privacy settings available within the app. According to the company, this feature will be rolled out gradually worldwide over the coming months, although its availability may vary across different regions initially.
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