WhatsApp Introduces Parent-Managed Accounts: New Safety Feature for Children Under 13, Here's How to Activate It
In the era of smartphones and digital communication, children’s online safety has become a major concern for parents. Keeping this in mind, WhatsApp introduced a new Parent-Managed Accounts feature on March 11. The feature has been launched by Meta Platforms to help parents monitor and manage their child’s activity on the messaging platform.
Earlier, the minimum age required to use WhatsApp was 13 years. However, with this new update, children under 13 can now use the app under parental supervision
The Parent-Managed Accounts feature is designed to give parents greater control over their child’s activity on WhatsApp. Once activated, the child’s account will function differently from a regular account.
Key features include:
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Restricted contact additions: Children cannot add new contacts themselves. Parents decide who their child can communicate with.
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Controlled group participation: Children cannot join unknown groups. Any group invitation requires parental approval.
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Limited features for safety: Options such as Status updates, Channels, Meta AI, and Location Sharing will remain disabled in children’s accounts to protect privacy.
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Instant notifications for parents: If the child blocks someone or receives a message request from an unknown contact, parents will receive an immediate notification.
These controls help parents monitor their child’s interactions while maintaining a safer messaging experience.
Parents can enable this feature by following these simple steps:
Download and open WhatsApp on the child’s smartphone and select the preferred language.
Tap on More Options at the top of the screen.
Select Create a Parent-Managed Account.
Enter the child’s mobile number and date of birth.
A QR code will appear on the screen.
Scan this QR code using WhatsApp from the parent’s phone to link both accounts.
Create a 6-digit parental PIN, which will be required to manage or change the child’s account settings.
Finally, add the child’s name and profile photo to complete the setup.
The introduction of Parent-Managed Accounts reflects growing efforts by tech companies to improve online safety for children