If you have children under 13, they will soon be able to have their own WhatsApp account for messages and calls, but with strict parental supervision. Users with accounts managed by a parent can only message saved contacts, and while pre-teens’ communication will still be end-to-end encrypted and private to parents, supervising adults will be notified of certain account activity and have the ability to approve or deny requests. According to Meta, this type of account is spreading gradually and globally.
How parent-managed accounts work for pre-teens
Managed accounts for WhatsApp users under 13 are limited to calls and texts with saved contacts and groups approved by parents. Built-in parental controls prevent access to many features of a regular WhatsApp account:
Only saved contacts can see preteens’ profile pictures and when they were last online. Parents must approve changes to privacy settings, as well as message requests and group invites from unknown contacts, which will go to a separate folder locked with a parent’s PIN. Managed accounts cannot create groups themselves.
Parents can also choose to be notified of account activity, such as when a contact is added, blocked or reported; when deleting a chat or contact; when a group is created, joined or left; and whether disappearing messages are enabled in group chats. Notification options are below Settings > Parental Controls in your WhatsApp account—select your child’s account and tap More options > Manage notifications.
What do you think so far?
How to set up a supervised account on WhatsApp
to start with WhatsAppyou will need to download the latest version of the app to your child’s device. After selecting your language, tap More options > Create a parent-managed account. You will then be prompted to register and confirm your child’s phone number and date of birth to confirm their age and tap Continue. Scan the QR code with your phone and follow the steps to set a six-digit parental PIN. Then go back to your child’s device, enter your parent’s PIN and select Continue to complete their account setup.
When users are 13 years of age or olderthey will get full access to WhatsApp features like channels, status and meta AI and will be able to manage their own privacy settings. Parents will no longer receive notifications of account activity and parental controls will be removed.
