October 1, 2026
The instant messaging application “WhatsApp” announced the launch of a new set of parental control tools, which gives parents greater ability to manage their teenage children’s account settings, while continuing to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of encrypted messages and calls between the two parties.
New tools allow parents to control basic privacy settings; Such as specifying who is authorized to view a teenager’s personal photo or add him to groups. If a teenager wishes to ease the restrictions imposed, he or she must obtain prior approval from a parent by using a security code (PIN).
The new features also include enabling parents to receive immediate notifications when a teenager joins or leaves any group, or when there is a noticeable increase in the number of its members, as well as controlling the use of channels and determining the audience allowed to view the teenager’s status updates.
The censorship powers extend to the “Meta AI” feature, which allows parents the freedom to choose between setting the default content directed to the age group over 13 years old, or activating a more restrictive option called “Limited Content.”
In the same context, Meta stressed that these tools are of an optional nature, and give users the power to modify or cancel them at any time, stressing at the same time that the content of personal conversations and calls for teenagers remains surrounded by complete privacy, as the monitoring tools do not allow parents to view their content under any circumstances.
