WhatsApp adds new parental controls without giving access to teen's chats

WhatsApp is introducing new parental controls to help parents guide their teens on the platform without reading over their shoulders. These controls are flexible and optional, allowing parents and teens to choose the privacy settings that suit their family best. Parents can control who can see their teen's profile photo, group invitations, and their own status updates.

They can also decide how their teen can use Channels, see their teen's Status updates, and choose the Meta AI experience, with options for a default 13+ setting or a stricter "Limited Content" option.

These controls are designed to facilitate open conversations between parents and teens about using WhatsApp while keeping everyone's personal messages private. The controls are easy to set up with a single PIN and clear alerts. Parents can always adjust or switch the controls off at any time, as the teen's personal messages and calls remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption. No one outside of the chat, including WhatsApp, can access these messages.

WhatsApp's new parental controls are part of the company's ongoing efforts to enhance account security and provide users with more control over their personal information. With more than one billion people now using a passkey for verification, and two-step verification strengthened to a longer, alphanumeric password, WhatsApp continues to prioritize user privacy and security.