WhatsApp is introducing accounts for under-13s with full parental control: How to set it up, features and limits
New feature lets parents approve contacts and control privacy settings
Dubai: If your child has been pestering you about getting WhatsApp, Meta has just made that conversation a little easier. The company has announced parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp, a new feature that lets children under 13 use the app in a controlled, limited way while a parent or guardian stays in charge of the important settings.
The feature is rolling out gradually in the coming months to all users with the latest version of WhatsApp on iPhone or Android.
What a parent-managed account actually is
Think of it as a stripped-down version of WhatsApp designed specifically for younger children, with a parent holding the keys. The child gets a real WhatsApp account they can use to message and call people, but everything else is locked down by default.
The child's account is linked directly to the parent's WhatsApp, meaning the parent receives notifications about message requests from unknown contacts and must approve them before the child can see them. Only the parent can change privacy settings, and those settings are protected by a PIN that the child does not have access to.
Importantly, WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption still applies. Even with a parent-managed account, nobody else, including Meta, can read the messages being sent.
What children can and cannot do
What is available:
Sending and receiving messages
Making and receiving calls
Messaging saved contacts only, by default
What is not available:
Meta AI integration
Channels
Location sharing
Status updates
Disappearing messages in private chats
Joining groups without parent approval
Any group invite or message request from an unknown contact will go to the parent as a notification first. The child will not see it until the parent approves it.
How to set it up
The setup requires both devices, the parent's phone and the child's phone, to be placed side by side to link the accounts.
On your child's device:
Download WhatsApp on the child's phone from the App Store or Google Play
Choose your language and tap Agree and continue
Tap More options and select Create a parent-managed account
Register and verify the child's phone number
Enter the child's birthday and confirm their age
Tap Continue to link to a parent's account
On your own device:
Scan the QR code shown on your child's device
Tap Agree and continue
Verify that you are an adult
Create a six-digit parent PIN (do not share this with your child)
Confirm the PIN and tap Next, then Done
Once setup is complete, your child can enter their name and add a profile photo. The parent PIN is the only way to access or change any privacy settings on the managed account.
To use the feature, the child must be under 13 (or under the minimum age required in their country), and the parent or guardian must be over 18.
Why Meta is doing this now
This move is part of a broader push by Meta to get ahead of growing pressure from governments around the world over children's safety online. Earlier this year, Meta also paused teens' access to its AI chatbot characters after reports emerged of some bots engaging in inappropriate conversations with minors.
The company has rolled out similar parental controls across its other platforms in recent years, including teen accounts on Instagram (required for under-16s) and on Facebook and Messenger for 13 to 15-year-olds.
Meta has argued publicly that parental oversight is a more effective approach than blanket bans, and these new WhatsApp controls are its practical answer to that argument. For parents who have been unsure whether their child is ready for WhatsApp, this gives them a way to be present without reading every message.
Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.
