WhatsApp is introducing a new feature designed to help families manage how younger users access the messaging service.
The company announced parent-managed accounts, a system that allows parents or guardians to control certain aspects of a child’s WhatsApp experience while preserving the platform’s core privacy protections.
The feature aims to make the app safer for pre-teen users by giving parents greater visibility and control over communication settings.
How Parent-Managed Accounts Work
Setting up a managed account requires both the parent’s device and the child’s phone. During the setup process, the two accounts are linked, allowing the parent to manage key privacy and communication settings.
Once connected, parents can control several aspects of the account, including:
- Who can contact the child
- Which groups the account can join
- Reviewing message requests from unknown contacts
- Adjusting privacy settings
Access to these controls is protected by a parent PIN, ensuring that only the parent or guardian can modify the settings on the managed device.
Privacy Still Protected by Encryption
Despite the additional parental controls, WhatsApp emphasized that conversations remain protected by end-to-end encryption.
This means that messages and calls can only be seen by the participants involved in the conversation. Even WhatsApp itself cannot access the contents of private messages.
The company says the goal is to balance safety tools for families while maintaining the privacy protections users expect from the platform.
Messaging apps are increasingly adding features designed to support younger users and their families. Parent-managed accounts reflect a broader effort by tech platforms to provide more oversight tools while maintaining secure communication channels.
WhatsApp says the feature will roll out gradually over the coming months, with feedback from families helping shape future improvements.
As messaging platforms continue to play a central role in daily communication, tools like these aim to ensure that younger users can stay connected while giving parents more control over their digital environment.
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