New WhatsApp Rule for Under-17s: Parents Get More Control, Yet Chats Remain Private

WhatsApp has introduced a parental control feature for users under the age of 17. Parents will be able to monitor their children’s activity and decide whom they can interact with.

WhatsApp has rolled out this parental control feature for users under 17, and the company has already begun gradually making it available to users. Amidst ongoing concerns regarding child safety on Meta platforms, the company recently announced these new parental control features for children aged 13 to 17.

This feature allows parents to determine who their children can interact with on WhatsApp and who can view their profiles. You might be wondering: “Will my parents read my private chats?” In this article, we answer these questions and explain how you can keep your private chats safe from their view.

What is the WhatsApp Parental Control Feature?

This parental control feature functions similarly to other WhatsApp features. While previous features were designed primarily for user convenience, this new feature focuses on child safety. For some time, parents and child safety organizations had been pressuring Meta to implement new regulations; in response, Meta introduced this parental control feature. It gives parents control over their child’s WhatsApp account, allowing them to decide which individuals or groups their child can connect with.

How Will the Feature Work?

Under this new feature, parents will be able to link their child’s WhatsApp account to their own. To do this, parents will need to create a 6-digit PIN. Once this is done, the child’s WhatsApp account will be linked to the parent’s account, allowing the parent to easily control certain privacy settings.

Parents will decide who the child interacts with

With this new feature, parents will decide which groups the child can join. They will also determine who can view the child’s profile. Furthermore, if any settings need to be changed, the child will first need to obtain permission from their parents.

Alerts for groups with more than 30 members

With this new feature, parents will receive a notification if a group the child is in adds more than 30 members. They will also be notified if someone leaves the group. The company’s aim is to keep children safe from strangers, ensuring that unauthorized individuals cannot view their profile picture (DP) or status updates.

How ​​to enable this feature?

According to the WhatsApp Help Center, to enable this, you need to go to Settings and select the ‘Parental Controls’ option. Then, navigate to the phone’s settings and select ‘Parental Controls’ again. You will then need to set a 6-digit PIN. Only after completing these steps will you be able to link your child’s account.

Your private messages remain safe.

Since the company announced this new feature, there has been a stir among WhatsApp users under the age of 18. A common concern is whether parents will be able to read personal messages. That is not the case at all. While parents can monitor your actions through this feature, they will not be able to view your private chats.

Even though your parents will receive information about your activity through this feature, they will not be able to see your private chats. According to WhatsApp, you will be able to secure your messages and calls using the end-to-end encryption feature, just as before. This means that even parents will not be able to read their children’s messages or listen to their calls.

How do you enable this feature?

According to the WhatsApp Help Center, to activate this, you need to go to the WhatsApp chat and select the end-to-end encryption option. It is important to note that you must enable this feature before linking it with the WhatsApp Parental Control feature; otherwise, you will not be able to benefit from it. It is worth noting that this new feature is not yet available in India; the company is rolling it out gradually.