WhatsApp introduces parental controls for teenagers

'Parental control' for teenagers on WhatsApp is arriving all over the world, even in Italy. These are optional controls that parents can add to an existing account of a teen over 13. "Parents will be able to choose the privacy settings for their teenagers, who can see their profile picture or add them to groups - explains the platform -. If a teenager wants to change them they will have to obtain the parent's approval via a Pin set by the parent". Even with controls, "the teen's personal messages and calls remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption."

The novelty adds to the 'accounts for teenagers' already possible on the other apps of the Meta group Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, active by default for boys and girls aged 13 to 17, and in a climate of growing global attention to the safety and mental health of minors.

"To always be aware of who their children come into contact with - adds WhatsApp on parental controls - parents receive a notification when their children join or leave a group or when a group they are part of becomes significantly larger. Parents will be able to choose how their children can use the channels, which status updates they can see and who can see theirs. And they can also decide the Meta AI experience best suited to their teenagers by choosing between the default 13+ setting and the more restrictive Limited Content option". The parental control is "easy to configure", underlines the Meta group app, it provides "a single Pin and clear alerts to keep parents informed".

And optional, "parents choose the level of assistance their children need and can change or deactivate the controls at any time. Even with controls activated, teenagers' personal calls and messages remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption. No one outside the chat, not even WhatsApp, can see or hear the contents." "This is just the first step - concludes the platform -. We are developing these controls step by step, based on the indications provided to us by families. All these controls have been designed to promote open conversations on how to use WhatsApp between parents and children, all while respecting the privacy of everyone's personal messages".