Along with mobile phones, the dangers of the digital world have also drawn closer to children. Parents are often concerned that a stranger might message their child, or that their child might click on a malicious link.
To this end, the company has recently introduced a “Parent-Managed Account” feature. This allows parents to link their children’s accounts to their own devices. The benefit of this is that parents will be able to monitor their children’s conversations.
How WhatsApp is being used:
Under this feature, children can still send messages and make calls, but certain social features will remain disabled. For example:
Channels and Status updates will not be visible.
AI tools will not be accessible.
The Disappearing Messages feature will not work.
This ensures that children primarily use the app for communication.
Both the parents’ and the child’s phones are required.
Parents install WhatsApp on the child’s phone and select the “Parent-Managed Account” option.
The child’s phone number is verified, and their age is confirmed.
The parent’s account is linked to the child’s account via a QR code.
Parents create a six-digit PIN to manage the child’s privacy settings.
Monitoring the child’s contacts and conversations
Determining who can send messages
Approving group invitations
Viewing message requests from unknown users
Notifications regarding activities such as adding new contacts, blocking users, or joining groups
How to Set Up a Parent-Managed Account
1 Install or open WhatsApp on the child’s Android or iOS device and begin the account registration process.
2 You need to enter the child’s phone number and verify it by entering the One-Time Password (OTP) received via SMS.
3 During the setup process, when prompted, select the option to create a parent-managed account for the child.
4 You need to enter the phone number of the parent or guardian who will manage the account. The parent will receive a request or notification on their WhatsApp account asking them to approve the supervision request.
5 The parent must review the request on their device and confirm that they wish to manage the child’s account. Once the request is approved, the child’s WhatsApp account will be created and linked to the parent’s account as a managed account.
6 WhatsApp claims that conversations on parent-managed accounts are secured by end-to-end encryption, which means that neither WhatsApp nor the parent can read the content of the chats.
Parents will benefit in these ways from WhatsApp’s new features.
Under WhatsApp’s new system, children’s WhatsApp accounts will be linked to their parents’ accounts. Through this feature, parents can determine who is allowed to send messages to their child, which individuals can be added to their contacts, and which groups the child can join. According to WhatsApp, the objective of this feature is to provide children with a secure environment for messaging.
Furthermore, children will not have access to certain advanced features—such as the ‘disappearing messages’ feature—in order to ensure that their conversations remain secure.
Why Is This Feature Important for Children?
Nowadays, even young children have started using smartphones and the internet. In such a scenario, their online safety becomes extremely important.
This WhatsApp feature will provide parents with the assurance that their children are using the app responsibly. According to reports, WhatsApp will roll out this feature gradually.