{
  "id": 13613835,
  "title": "WhatsApp launches new safety controls: What UAE parents need to know",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/whatsapp-launches-new-safety-controls-what-uae-parents-need-to-know-13613835",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-11T02:00:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/11/whatsapp-parent-control-teen-uae-parents-react/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In response to the UAE's ban on social media use for children under 15, WhatsApp has introduced new safety controls aimed at providing parents with greater oversight of their teenagers' online presence. However, these controls do not grant parents access to personal messages or calls, and instead focus on enabling parents and teenagers to build safer online habits together. Parents can use a six-digit PIN to lock specific privacy settings, requiring parental approval if a teenager attempts to change restrictions such as profile picture visibility or joining groups. The controls also provide notifications about changes in online activity, such as joining or leaving groups, significant group growth, and new contact additions. Additionally, WhatsApp offers artificial intelligence features, with parents able to choose between the default 13+ Meta AI experience or a stricter Limited Content mode that restricts sensitive topics and adds safeguards. Despite these new controls, privacy remains a key concern, with experts emphasizing the need to balance oversight with personal privacy, allowing teenagers to develop judgment, build trust, and learn digital responsibility.",
  "summary": "As the UAE bans social media for children under 15, WhatsApp has introduced new features that give parents firmer control over their teenagers' online footprints. Parents will not be able to read the messages their teenagers send or receive. The new features are meant to help parents and teenagers build safer online habits together, offering oversight of potential risks without constant…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Euro Weekly News",
        "title": "Spain police warn parents over WhatsApp scam that uses their children’s real accounts",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/spain-police-warn-parents-over-whatsapp-scam-that-uses-their",
        "published": "2026-10-10T20:32:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "WhatsApp launches new safety controls: What UAE parents need to know",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/11/whatsapp-launches-new-safety-controls-what-uae-parents-need-to-know",
        "published": "2026-10-11T02:00:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}