New Delhi: Meta-owned WhatsApp has introduced new parental controls for teenagers as technology companies face increasing pressure to strengthen online safety measures for children.
The new controls allow parents to manage who can contact their child's WhatsApp account, which groups they can join and message requests from unknown contacts.
Parents will also be able to access and modify selected privacy settings on their child's account. These include controls over who can view the teenager's profile picture and who can add them to group chats.
According to WhatsApp, the parental controls are protected by a PIN. Parents will also receive notifications when their child joins or leaves groups.
The company is also introducing controls for Meta AI. Parents can choose between a 13+ setting, under which teenagers will see conversations with Meta AI similar to content intended for users aged 13 and above, and a more restrictive "Limited content" option that provides more limited content in Meta AI conversations.
WhatsApp said the new controls do not give parents access to their child's private conversations. Parents will not be able to read messages sent or received by their children, as chats remain protected by end-to-end encryption. Calls will also remain private and protected by the platform's encryption.
The new features are aimed at giving parents greater control over teenagers' interactions on WhatsApp while maintaining the privacy of their conversations.
