WhatsApp is rolling out new parental controls that give parents more ways to manage how teenagers use the messaging platform, as governments around the world consider stricter online safety and age-verification rules.
The new tools allow parents to control who can view an underage user’s profile photo, who can add them to new groups and what content they can access through WhatsApp channels and Status.
Parents get more control over teen accounts
WhatsApp said parents can also receive notifications about significant group activity or changes involving their children.
The controls are optional and can be activated using a parent-set PIN. Parents can change or disable the settings at any time.
The new features also extend to Meta AI, WhatsApp’s built-in chatbot. The company offers a default setting for users aged 13 and above, while younger children can be placed under a more restrictive setting.
WhatsApp said personal messages and calls will remain private and cannot be accessed by parents through these controls.
WhatsApp avoids platform-wide age checks
The expanded controls come as social media companies face increasing pressure to verify users’ ages and restrict minors’ access to potentially harmful content.
Age-verification systems can require users to submit sensitive information such as identity documents or facial scans. Privacy advocates have raised concerns about how such data is collected, stored and shared.
Some platforms have instead experimented with less intrusive methods of estimating users’ ages, although these systems can also produce inaccurate results.
WhatsApp has introduced age verification for some features but has not imposed a platform-wide age-verification requirement.
Debate over parental controls and regulation
The approach reflects a broader debate over whether child safety should primarily be handled by parents and platforms or through government-mandated age restrictions.
Parental controls give families greater control over individual accounts but require parents to configure and monitor the settings themselves.
Government-backed age-verification systems can place more responsibility on platforms, but critics argue that collecting age and identity information could create additional privacy and surveillance risks.
