Nations around the world are beginning to introduce stricter regulations on social media access for children. Tech companies are also required to bring changes to their platforms to comply with these new rules and provide safer online experiences for younger users. Amidst this, WhatsApp is introducing new optional parental controls for teenagers.
WhatsApp introduces new optional parental controls
These new tools will give parents more control, including receiving alerts when their child joins or leaves a WhatsApp group. Parents will also be notified when a group their teens are a part of grows in size. They will also be able to decide privacy settings for their child’s account. That includes who can see their child’s profile photo and who can add them to groups.
They can also control how their teen uses Channels, whose Status updates they can see, and who can view theirs. They can decide on the right Meta AI experience for their teen. This includes options ranging from the default 13+ setting to a stricter “Limited Content” mode.
Parents can turn off the controls any time
The settings are “straightforward” to set up, with a single PIN created by the parents. Teens will need to enter this PIN to turn off the controls. According to WhatsApp, parents can adjust or turn off the controls at any time. The company also clarified that even with these controls enabled, parents won’t be able to see their teen’s messages or calls. These will remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption.
WhatsApp says that “this is just the start,” signaling there’s more to come. “All of these controls are being designed to support open conversations about how to use WhatsApp between parents and teens, while keeping everyone’s personal messages private,” said WhatsApp. The changes come as governments and regulators put more pressure on tech companies to better protect children on their apps.
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