ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
WhatsApp has introduced “a set of flexible and optional tools” that parents and teenagers can configure together to help families choose the WhatsApp experience that is right for them.
The parental controls will allow parents to manage privacy settings for their teenagers, including who can view their profile photograph and who can add them to groups, WhatsApp said in a note shared with media on Wednesday.
If teenagers want to relax any of the selected settings, they will require parental approval through a PIN set by the parent.
Parents will receive notifications when their teenager joins or leaves a group. They will also be alerted when a group in which their teenager participates grows significantly in size.
The controls will allow parents to decide how their teenagers use WhatsApp Channels, whose Status updates they can view and who can see the Status updates they post.
Parents will also be able to manage their teenager’s experience with Meta AI. They can choose between the default setting for users aged 13 and above and a stricter “Limited Content” option.
WhatsApp said the controls were being introduced gradually and would be developed further based on feedback from families.
The tools are designed to encourage conversations between parents and teenagers about their use of WhatsApp while preserving the privacy of personal communications, the company said.
The controls can be configured using a single PIN, while alerts will keep parents informed about relevant changes. Parents can decide how much supervision their teenager requires and can adjust or disable the controls at any time.
WhatsApp said personal messages and calls would remain private even when parental controls were activated. They will continue to be protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning that neither parents nor WhatsApp can read or listen to them.