For the first time, WhatsApp has a new set of optional parental controls for young people, providing parents with more control over how their children use the messaging app. It was announced on Wednesday, Sept. 30, by the Meta-owned platform. Thirty, stating the tools are intended for parents and teens to establish jointly. The controls include privacy settings, group activity, Channels, Status and Meta AI. But, they don’t provide parents with access to their teen’s private messages or calls, here are the key points to understand about WhatsApp’s new parental control.
Built for Teens Aged 13 to 17
The new controls are for teenagers ages 13-17 and are optional. According to WhatsApp, parents and teens should install them together, and they should decide on their usage.
Control Over Profile Photo and Groups
Parents will have the option to enable who can view their teen’s profile photo. They’ve also got the ability to restrict who can join group chats with the teen.
Group Activity Alerts
Parents are allowed to be informed of their teen’s entry and departure from a group. They can receive notifications for reaching group sizes of 30, 100 or 250, as well.
Channels and Status Settings
The controls are extended to support WhatsApp Channels and Status. Parents have control over what teens see on Channels, who can see their teen’s Status updates and who can see the teen’s status updates.
A Parent-Set PIN
All of the settings are protected by a PIN created by the parent. If a teen wishes to relax a restriction, they must get parental permission with that PIN.
Meta AI Content Settings
Parents can also control their teen’s interaction with Meta AI, the built-in AI assistant, of WhatsApp. They can switch between the default 13+ setting and a more stringent “Limited Content” setting, which disables characteristics like incognito chat, and message summaries.
Private Chats Stay Encrypted
Parental controls won’t enable parents to read their teen’s messages or hear their calls. Even with the controls turned on, WhatsApp claims personal chats and voice messages will still be end-to-end encrypted.
Simple Setup From Settings
Users can begin by going to the Settings, selecting Parental controls, and then following the instructions to connect the teen’s account with the parent’s account. These are controls that are set on a teen account, not an additional account type.
Separate Accounts for Pre-Teens
The teen controls the account, which is not the same as the parent-managed accounts for kids under 13, which are also called WhatsApp Kids. The simplified accounts are equipped with built-in controls that are necessary, and the teen tools are more liberating for older users.
Part of Meta’s Wider Safety Push
Launch follows worldwide measures to tighten up children’s access to social media. Meta has also added movie rating-based content controls, pre-teen accounts on WhatsApp and parental controls for Meta AI this year.
Gradual Rollout and Future Updates
This parental control and rollout is phased and may not be available in all regions yet. What’sApp claims to continue to work on the feature in accordance with suggestions from families.
