Meta has been steadily rolling out safety features for younger users on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. Now, the company is bringing similar functions to WhatsApp with the introduction of parental controls. As detailed in a new blog post, these are a set of optional, flexible tools designed for teens.
Created to help families choose “the WhatsApp experience that’s right for them”, the controls allow parents and guardians to set the privacy settings for their child, as well as keep track of certain activity. To get started, the user must first head to their teen’s WhatsApp settings. From there, they must tap “Parental controls” and follow the instructions to link the teen’s account to the parent’s account. During this process, they will need to verify that they are and adult. After that, they must create a parent PIN, which will be required when the teen wants to change certain settings.
With these controls, parents can determine who gets to see the child’s profile photo and add them to groups, for instance. Beyond that, they may choose how the teen can use Channels and adjust their Status privacy settings. The latter covers whose updates will be visible to the child, as well as who gets to see said child’s updates. Parents will also receive notifications when the teen leaves or joins a group, and when a group grows “meaningfully” in size. Finally, they have control over the child’s Meta AI experience, with the option to pick between the default 13+ setting or a stricter “Limited Content” option.
The messaging platform also noted that these tools are just the start and that it will continue to roll out more features based on feedback from parents. It also asserted that even with parental controls enabled, the teen’s calls and messages remain protected with end-to-end encryption.
This launch follows the introduction of parent-managed accounts earlier this year. Designed for pre-teens, it limits the platform’s features to calling and messaging, allowing young users to stay in contact with family and trusted individuals. In comparison, the parental controls for teens offers more freedom while allowing adult guardians to stay in the loop.
(Source: Whatsapp blog)
