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WhatsApp Parental Controls: New Teen Safety Features
3 Oct
Summary
- Parents can control who sees their teen's profile and group invitations.
- Notifications alert parents to teen group activity and new group entries.
- Controls are optional, respecting teen privacy and encrypted communications.
Meta-owned WhatsApp is rolling out new, optional parental controls aimed at bolstering the safety and well-being of teenage users. These features empower parents to manage aspects of their teenager's account, providing greater oversight without compromising privacy.
Parents will be able to specify who can view their teenager's profile picture and who can add them to WhatsApp groups. Additionally, guardians will receive notifications when a teen joins or leaves a group, or if a group experiences rapid membership growth. These settings can be altered by the teen only after parental authentication via a PIN.
The new controls also extend to WhatsApp Channels and Status updates, allowing parents to set viewing permissions for their teens. WhatsApp emphasizes that these controls are optional and can be implemented collaboratively by parents and teenagers. Importantly, all messages and calls remain end-to-end encrypted and private, even with these features enabled. The rollout is gradual across Android and iOS devices.
