WhatsApp unveils parental controls to protect children

WhatsApp is rolling out new parental controls for teen accounts that may enable parents to monitor their teenagers' interactions and content settings on the platform. These controls include the ability to limit teen use of channels, control who can see their Status updates and who can add them to groups or view their profile picture.

Parents can also get notified when a teen joins or leaves a group, or when the group size reaches 30, 100, or 250 members. These settings require a PIN set by the parents, so teens would need parental approval to change them. Parents can also turn these controls off entirely. In addition, WhatsApp has introduced content settings for Meta AI chats, including a 'Limited Content' option that disables private processing-based features like incognito chat and message summaries.

Despite these new controls, messages and calls on WhatsApp remain end-to-end encrypted, ensuring no one can access their content. Meta has faced multiple lawsuits alleging that its social media products harm children, with lawmakers pressing the company to launch teen safety features. In August, Meta agreed to pay a $18 billion fine to settle a lawsuit filed by 29 U.S. states.

The company has been proactive in rolling out safety features across its apps, including content controls inspired by movie ratings, parental controls for interactions with Meta AI, pre-teen accounts on WhatsApp, and alerts for parents if their children search for self-harm content on Instagram.