Flexible tools for parents to manage how their children can message privately on WhatsApp.
Parental controls are rolling out gradually and may not be available in your region yet.
As children develop, so do the ways they communicate. Parents can choose the right experience for their child across every age.
Optional controls to help parents support their teens ages 13 to 17.
Simplified accounts with built-in controls required for pre-teens under 13.
Support your teen while respecting their privacy and independence.
Oversee your teen’s privacy settings – relaxing any setting will require approval with your parent PIN.
Limit how your teen can experience Channels, Status, and Meta AI, including the content they can see.
Stay informed on your teen’s activity and receive notifications on key updates, like when they add a new contact.
Allow your pre-teens to message and call people you trust.
Review message requests from unknown contacts to choose who can contact your child and which groups they can join.
Parental controls and settings are gated by a parent PIN, allowing you to tailor your child’s experience.
View updates about your child’s WhatsApp activity, all in one place, and receive notifications for key updates, like when a group they’re in grows in size.
"It's encouraging to see the many months that Meta has dedicated, working with parents and experts to make a new WhatsApp messaging solution for pre-teens, that respects the rights and autonomy of young people and offers parents non-intrusive ways to guide their activities. This is a great example of how a safety-by-design approach involving key stakeholders can lead to an empowering user-experience not only for children and young people but for parents too.”
– Janice Richardson | Safety & Well-Being Expert and Founder of Safer Internet Day
“In schools across India, we increasingly talk with parents about how to help their children navigate digital communication responsibly. Messaging platforms are now a natural part of how families and students stay connected with each other and with their schools. Features like WhatsApp’s parent-managed accounts help parents to be partners in supporting their children’s online experiences. Tools that allow families to guide how younger users engage with messaging can help build responsible digital habits early on.”
– Azeez Gupta | Rocket Learning
“In our daily work with parents and caregivers, it is clear that ensuring a safe digital experience for children and adolescents is a complex and urgent challenge, especially given the multiplicity of platforms. In this context, WhatsApp's new managed accounts feature represents a meaningful step forward, giving caregivers clearer ways to more effectively guide and structure app usage.”
– Karina Queiroz | President & Executive Director of the Instituto Teckids
