WhatsApp launches parental controls for teenagers around the world

Know who a teenager comes into contact with, get notifications when he joins a group or leaves it, which status updates he can see and who can see theirs, decide the most suitable artificial intelligence experience for a teenager. These are some of the options present in WhatsApp's 'parental control' which is being launched all over the world, including in Italy. An innovation that comes in a climate of growing global attention to the safety and mental health of minors. Just a few weeks ago the EU proposed the Kids Act which establishes strict age limits for social media and requires technology companies to demonstrate that their platforms are safe by design.

Parental control on WhatsApp is added to the other measures for teenagers already adopted by the other apps in the Meta group. There are active 'teen accounts' on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger aimed at boys and girls aged 13 to 17. While parental supervision tools are also present on other companies' platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat. Apps on which children spend more and more time: in Europe alone, according to a Eurostat survey in August, young people between 13 and 18 spend an average of 4 and a half hours a day online on school days and 6 hours a day at the weekend.

Parental controls on WhatsApp are a set of "optional and flexible" tools, the company explains, that parents can add to an existing account of a teenager over 13 years old. They are "easy to configure" parents and teenagers can do it together "to choose the most suitable WhatsApp experience". If a child wants to change the settings, they will need to get parental approval via a Pin established by the parent. The system includes a single Pin "and clear alerts to keep parents informed".

Additionally, an adult will also be able to select the Meta AI experience best suited for children, "choosing between the default 13+ setting and the more restrictive Limited Content option." Even with the controls activated, WhatsApp specifies, "teens' personal calls and messages remain private and protected by end-to-end encryption. No one outside the chat, not even WhatsApp, can see or listen to their contents". "This is only the first step. We are developing these checks step by step, based on the information provided to us by families", underlines the Meta group company.

The new tools for parents and children on Mark Zuckeberg's platform arrive at a time when the sensitivity of institutions and users to the issue of safety and mental health linked to the use of technological platforms and AI, especially among young people, has grown. In August, Meta negotiated a 17-18 billion dollar settlement with a coalition of American states to settle the historic case on the addiction of minors to social media. While all over the world, with Australia leading the way, bans on social media for minors are being introduced or considered. After proposing the EU Kids Act on 17 September, Brussels is preparing a new package for the autumn, the Digital Fairness Act, which will provide a framework of measures on the use of platforms.