WhatsApp Updates Teen Account System! Here’s How Parental Controls Will Work

WhatsApp has introduced new parental controls for teens, allowing parents to manage various settings. Find out which settings parents can control and how secure children’s private chats will remain.

Parents will now have greater control over their children’s WhatsApp accounts, while personal chats and calls will remain private, just as before. WhatsApp has rolled out new parental controls that allow parents to decide who can view their child’s profile photo and who can add them to groups, as well as manage the use of Channels, Status, and Meta AI. Let’s take a look at how these parental controls will work.

How will parental controls work?

Under the new “Parent-Managed Accounts,” parents can customize specific privacy settings for their teen’s account. This includes options regarding who can view the profile photo and who has permission to add the teen to WhatsApp groups.

Parents can also choose the level of access their child has to Channels. Additionally, they can determine whose Status updates the teen can view and who, in turn, can see the teen’s own Status updates.

What is the key function of these parental controls?

A crucial aspect of the new feature involves alerts related to WhatsApp groups. Parents can receive notifications when their teen joins or leaves a group. They may also be notified of significant changes in the number of members within a group the teen has joined. However, this does not mean parents can read the group conversations; they will only receive information regarding group-related activity.

Separate controls for Meta AI

WhatsApp has also introduced parental controls for Meta AI. Parents can choose to maintain the standard experience (designed for ages 13+) or opt for a “Limited Content” setting. Teens will require parental approval to modify these settings. A PIN set by the parents will be used for this purpose. If the teen later wishes to make a setting less restrictive, they will also need this same PIN.

No impact on private chats and calls

Under WhatsApp’s new controls, parents will not gain access to the teen’s private conversations. Personal messages and calls will remain end-to-end encrypted, just as before. According to WhatsApp, no one other than the participants in the chat can read or listen to these messages or calls. Parents can modify these controls later or disable them entirely if they wish.

Feature rolling out gradually

According to WhatsApp, parent-managed accounts are being rolled out gradually, and the feature may not yet be available in all regions. The company has not shared a specific timeline for different countries. In India, users will need to wait for this option to become available while using the latest version of WhatsApp. WhatsApp states that this is just the beginning, and further controls will be added based on feedback from families.