{
  "id": 10908564,
  "title": "WhatsApp announces new parental controls for teens as online risks surge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/whatsapp-announces-new-parental-controls-for-teens-as-online-risks",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T09:15:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/technology/whatsapp-announces-new-parental-controls-for-teens-as-online-risks-surge/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "WhatsApp has introduced new parental controls for teenagers, providing families with tools to manage their teen's usage of the platform while preserving the privacy of private messages. This marks the first instance where parents can set privacy boundaries and receive alerts about their teen's activity without intruding on conversations. The announcement follows a Microsoft report from February 2026 indicating that 77% of South African teens sought assistance after encountering online risks, a figure that has risen for two consecutive years. Despite the increasing exposure to online risks, teens showed remarkable resilience. Recognizing the need for parental guidance, WhatsApp states that parents should have control over their teens' experiences on the platform, and now they do. Parents and teens can collaborate to set up the controls, which offer flexibility and optional features. For the first time, parents can decide on privacy settings, such as who can view the teen's profile photo or join groups. If a teen wishes to change these settings, parental approval via a PIN is required. Parents can also receive notifications when their teen joins or leaves a group or when a group's size significantly expands. These controls encompass Meta AI, Channels, and Status, allowing parents to dictate how their teen interacts with these features. Families can select between the default 13+ AI setting and a more restrictive \"Limited Content\" option. WhatsApp stresses that these controls are designed to facilitate open discussions about WhatsApp between parents and teens, rather than monitoring their chats. Personal messages and calls remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption, ensuring they remain inaccessible even to WhatsApp. The controls are optional and adjustable, acknowledging that each family's requirements differ. Parents can disable them at any time, and the system is straightforward, featuring alerts and a single PIN for easy management. WhatsApp emphasizes that this is only the beginning and plans to develop the controls further based on feedback from families. This rollout underscores Meta's ongoing commitment to balancing safety and privacy for young users while granting parents oversight without accessing their teens' private conversations.",
  "summary": "The launch marks the first time parents can actively set privacy boundaries and receive alerts about their teen's activity.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}