WhatsApp has introduced a new parent-managed account type designed specifically for pre-teens, allowing parents and guardians to oversee how children use the platform. Meta said the feature was developed in consultation with families and subject experts and limits the experience to messaging and voice calls only. The accounts will be gradually rolled out to users over the coming months.
As per the company, to set up a parent-managed account, parents must place their own mobile device next to the device intended for their child, linking the two accounts through a side-by-side process. Once the setup is complete, WhatsApp said the parent or guardian receives full administrative control over the child’s account and its privacy settings.
According to the company, the system allows parents to decide who can contact the parent-managed account and which group chats the pre-teen is permitted to join. WhatsApp said guardians can also review message requests from unknown contacts before they reach the child. All parental controls and privacy settings are protected by a dedicated parent PIN entered on the managed device, ensuring that only the designated adult can modify the account’s settings. The platform is also introducing additional oversight tools focused on monitoring group chat activity.
Despite the introduction of these new oversight features, WhatsApp said its core privacy architecture remains unchanged. All personal conversations on parent-managed accounts will continue to be protected by end-to-end encryption, ensuring that the content of messages and calls cannot be accessed, viewed, or heard by the platform or any third party.
