WhatsApp rolls out optional controls for teen accounts

WhatsApp is rolling out optional, PIN-protected parental controls that let guardians manage some teenagers’ account settings and receive alerts about group activity, while keeping private messages and calls inaccessible to parents, the company says. The controls allow parents to choose who can see a teen’s profile photo and Status updates, who can add them to groups, and how they use Channels. Parents can also opt to be notified when a teen joins or leaves a group, or when a group grows. The tools are optional, and parents can switch them off; teens need the parent-set PIN to change certain settings. For Meta AI, parents can select either the default setting for users aged 13 and older or a stricter Limited Content option. WhatsApp says that option disables some features, including incognito chat and message summaries, that rely on private processing. The settings do not allow guardians to read teens’ messages or listen to their calls, which WhatsApp says remain protected by end-to-end encryption. The announcement describes account-level oversight rather than access to conversations.