WhatsApp is introducing new parental controls that give parents and guardians more control over how teens use the messaging app, including who they interact with and what content settings are available in Meta AI.
The new controls allow parents to limit how teens use WhatsApp Channels, choose whose Status updates they can see, and control who can view their own Status posts. Parents can also decide who is allowed to add their teen to groups and who can see the teen’s profile picture.
Guardians can also choose to receive notifications about certain group activity involving their teen. These alerts can notify parents when a teen joins a new group, leaves a group, or when a group they are part of reaches 30, 100, or 250 members.
The parental controls are protected by a PIN created by the parent. If a teen wants to change any of the settings, parental approval is required. Parents can also disable the controls completely.
WhatsApp is also giving parents new options for controlling Meta AI content settings. Parents can keep the default 13+ setting or choose a stricter “Limited Content” option. The stricter setting disables certain private processing-based features, including incognito chats and message summaries.
WhatsApp said that its new parental controls do not change the privacy of regular conversations and calls. Messages and calls remain protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning WhatsApp says they cannot be viewed by other people.
The changes come as Meta continues expanding its child-safety features across its platforms. The company has faced lawsuits and scrutiny over allegations that its social media products can harm children, while lawmakers have also questioned the company’s approach to teen safety.
Meta has introduced several child-safety measures this year, including additional content controls for teenagers, parental controls for interactions with Meta AI, parent-linked WhatsApp accounts for pre-teens, and alerts for parents when teens search for self-harm-related content on Instagram.
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The new WhatsApp controls give parents more options for managing their teenagers’ interactions and content settings while keeping the app’s end-to-end encryption in place.
