WhatsApp has introduced a new parent-managed account feature designed specifically for children under the age of 13. The feature allows kids to use WhatsApp for basic communication while giving parents strong control over privacy, contacts, and security settings. The move comes as concerns about online safety and children’s exposure to social media continue to grow worldwide.
What Are WhatsApp Parent-Managed Accounts?
Parent-managed accounts are a special type of WhatsApp account created for pre-teens below 13 years of age. These accounts are linked to a parent or guardian’s WhatsApp account and allow the child to use only essential features such as messaging and calling.
Unlike regular WhatsApp accounts, these versions include strict privacy settings and parental supervision tools. Parents control who can contact the child, which groups they can join, and how privacy settings are configured.
How Parents Set Up the Account
Setting up a child’s account requires both the parent’s and child’s smartphones. The two devices must be linked during the setup process.
The setup process typically includes:
- Installing WhatsApp on the child’s phone.
- Selecting the option to create a parent-managed account.
- Linking the child’s account with the parent’s account by scanning a QR code.
- Setting up a six-digit parent PIN that controls all safety settings.
Once linked, parents can manage the child’s WhatsApp activity from their own device.
Key Safety Features for Kids
The new feature includes several safeguards designed to create a safer messaging environment for children.
1. Contact Control
Parents decide who can message or call the child. Unknown contacts are placed in a request folder for review.
2. Group Participation Approval
Children cannot join groups independently. Parents must approve group invitations after viewing details such as group members and admin information.
3. Activity Alerts
Parents receive notifications when a child adds a new contact, joins a group, or blocks someone. This helps them stay informed about account activity.
4. Parent PIN Protection
A parent-controlled PIN protects all privacy settings so that children cannot change them without permission.
Features Disabled for Child Accounts
To ensure safety, several WhatsApp features are removed or restricted for under-13 users.
These include:
- WhatsApp Channels
- Meta AI features
- Status updates
- Disappearing messages in private chats
By limiting these features, the platform focuses mainly on safe communication with family and trusted contacts.
Privacy Still Protected With Encryption
Even though parents supervise the account, WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption remains active. This means that messages and calls cannot be read by WhatsApp, Meta, or even the parents themselves. The parental controls focus on managing contacts and settings rather than monitoring message content.
Why WhatsApp Introduced This Feature
Many parents already allow their children to use smartphones to stay connected with family members. WhatsApp introduced parent-managed accounts to provide a safer and more controlled environment for young users while maintaining privacy and communication features.
The feature is expected to roll out gradually across regions over the coming months.
