{
  "id": 11121219,
  "title": "WhatsApp introduces parental controls for teens",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/whatsapp-introduces-parental-controls-for-teens",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-01T05:40:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/whatsapp-changes-for-parents-new-controls-let-you-track-teen-group-activity-manage-privacy-settings-limit-meta-ai-without-seeing-chats/articleshow/134609337.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "WhatsApp has launched new optional parental controls aimed at giving parents more visibility and control over certain features for their teenage children. These controls allow parents to decide which privacy settings, groups, Channels, and Meta AI experiences their teens can access. Parents can choose who can see a teen's profile photo, who can add them to groups, and receive updates about group activity. They can also set a PIN to change more restrictive settings and receive notifications about group changes and significant member increases. Additionally, parents can control what Status updates their teen can view and who can see their own Status updates. For Meta AI, parents can opt for a standard 13+ setting or a more restrictive Limited Content option. The new controls are designed to help parents and teenagers decide together how to use the messaging app while keeping personal chats and calls private. The features will be introduced gradually and may be expanded based on feedback. WhatsApp stresses that the controls are optional, and personal messages and calls will remain protected by end-to-end encryption, even when parental controls are enabled.",
  "summary": null,
  "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."
}