WhatsApp introduces parent-managed accounts for pre-teens

WhatsApp has begun rolling out parent-managed accounts for pre-teens, permitting dad and mom and guardians to resolve who can contact them and which teams they’ll be part of.

These accounts are restricted to messaging and calling and don’t embody entry to Meta AI, Channels, Standing, or location sharing. The kid’s messages stay end-to-end encrypted and can’t be seen by third events, together with dad and mom, who can’t learn their chats or eavesdrop on their calls.

Establishing a parent-managed account requires each the mum or dad’s and the kid’s units to be current on the identical time. The mum or dad should register and confirm the kid’s cellphone quantity, verify the kid’s age, and scan a QR code on the kid’s system to hyperlink the 2 accounts.

The mum or dad can even set a 6-digit PIN, guaranteeing that solely they’ll entry and alter message requests, privateness settings, and exercise alerts from the managed system.

“The brand new parental controls and settings are gated by a mum or dad PIN on the managed system. Solely dad and mom can entry and alter privateness settings, guaranteeing they’re empowered to tailor their household’s expertise,” the corporate stated.

“All private conversations stay non-public and guarded with end-to-end encryption, that means nobody—not even WhatsApp—can see or hear them.”

By default, managed accounts can change messages solely with individuals already saved within the kid’s contacts, and solely dad and mom can add the account to teams.

When an unknown contact makes an attempt to achieve the kid, a context card will seem displaying whether or not the unknown contact shares any teams with the kid and which nation they’re from.

Mother and father can even obtain exercise alerts when their youngsters obtain new chat requests, add a brand new contact, or when teams they’re in add new members.

“Mother and father will obtain notifications about essential exercise, like when their little one receives a message request from an unknown contact. They’ll customise the notifications they obtain about different actions, reminiscent of when their little one leaves a gaggle,” WhatsApp added.

The kid can transition their account to a typical WhatsApp profile once they flip 13, after which they are going to have full entry to WhatsApp options with out parental controls.

Meta additionally launched devoted accounts for teenagers below 16 on Fb and Messenger in September 2025, one 12 months after rolling out the identical function for Instagram customers.

At the moment, Meta additionally launched new WhatsApp anti-scam protections that warn customers when behavioral indicators counsel a device-linking request could also be fraudulent.