WhatsApp to introduce parent-managed accounts for under-13 users

WhatsApp's new parent-managed accounts come with strict new default settings, parental controls, and options for parents

WhatsApp announced on March 11 that it is introducing new 'parent-managed' accounts for users under the age of 13 that are focused strictly on messaging and calling.

These accounts are designed to give parents or guardians more control over the communication experience for pre-teen users. It will be gradually rolled out in the next few months, the company said.

The launch comes as tech giants like Meta ramp up their efforts to enhance digital safety for minors amid increasing pressure from regulators and parents.

What will WhatsApp's parent-managed accounts offer?

WhatsApp's new parent-managed accounts will come with strict new default settings, parental controls, and options for parents to set up the messaging app for younger users. It will allow parents to manage who can contact their child, the groups they can join, and their privacy settings.

All personal conversations will however remain private with end-to-end encryption, the company noted.

The accounts will also not have access to features such as Meta AI, Channels or Status and the company will not use information from parent-managed accounts for advertising, it noted. In addition, users will not be able to turn on disappearing messages in 1:1 conversations.

How to set up a parent-managed account on WhatsApp?

To set up the account, parents will need their own device and the pre-teen's device side-by-side to link their accounts through a QR code. Once set up, parents will be able to decide who can contact the account and which groups the user can join.

They can also review message requests from unknown contacts and manage the account’s privacy settings. WhatsApp stated that only parents can access and change these settings, which will be gated by a parent PIN on the managed device.

Parents will also receive a notification whenever the pre-teen adds, blocks or reports a contact.

How can parent supervise messages from unknown contacts?

Any messages sent from unknown contacts to these accounts will be filtered into a message requests folder that can only be viewed after entering the PIN on the managed account’s device.

For groups, aside from those parents have added their pre-teen directly, all other invitations will be sent as group invite links that only the parent can accept using their PIN.

WhatsApp will also provide group information such as the members and the group admin. Parents will be notified if a group grows in size or if someone in the group turns on disappearing messages, the company said.

Can a managed WhatsApp account become a standard one?

When a pre-teen gets older, parents and managed accounts will get a notification that their accounts can be converted into a standard WhatsApp account, the company stated. It noted that the app will soon introduce an option for parents to delay this transition for up to 12 months.