{
  "id": 10968336,
  "title": "WhatsApp gives parents new controls over teens — but they can't read their messages",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/whatsapp-gives-parents-new-controls-over-teens-but-they-cant-read",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T14:32:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/technology/companies/whatsapp-gives-parents-new-controls-over-teens-but-they-cant-read-their-messages-1.500693792"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "WhatsApp has introduced new parental controls to give families more oversight over how teenagers use the messaging app. These controls include privacy settings, group management, and Meta AI restrictions. Parents can set a PIN to establish the level of oversight they desire and receive alerts about their teenager's activity. However, parents will not have access to their teen's private conversations due to end-to-end encryption. The controls allow parents to set restrictions on who can view their teenager's profile photo, join or leave groups, and view or receive Status updates. They can also choose between a standard Meta AI experience or a more restrictive option. The controls use a parent-set PIN and can be adjusted or turned off as needed. This new feature is separate from the parent-managed accounts for pre-teens and targets teenagers who have access to WhatsApp's broader range of features but whose parents want additional oversight.",
  "summary": "WhatsApp has announced new parental controls to give families more oversight of how teenagers use the messaging app, including controls for privacy settings, groups, and Meta AI. The new features will let parents set restrictions using a PIN and receive certain alerts about their teenager’s activity, but they will not be able to read their messages or listen to their calls. Get updated faster and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Citizen",
        "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",
        "published": "2026-09-30T09:15:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}