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WhatsApp Introduces Parent-Managed Accounts for Preadolescents

WhatsApp will phase in the supervised accounts worldwide over the coming months, preserving end-to-end encryption.

Overview

  • Parents must create and link a child’s account to their own, completing setup with both devices next to each other.
  • Adults can control who contacts the child, approve message requests from unknown numbers, and decide which groups the child may join.
  • The new accounts ship with stricter default privacy settings and limit use primarily to messaging and calls.
  • All parental controls on the child’s device are protected by a parental PIN that only the guardian can change.
  • Meta says the feature was developed with input from families and child-safety specialists, aligning with newer supervision tools on Instagram in select countries.