WhatsApp tightens safety for teens

A new parental control feature for teenagers is launching on WhatsApp that allows parents to set limits around privacy, groups, Status, Channels and Meta AI.

Parents and teenagers are meant to set up the controls together. Parents can choose privacy settings including who can see a teen’s profile photo and who can add them to groups. A teen who wants to relax those settings will need approval through a parent-set PIN.

Group activity forms another part of the controls. Parents will receive an alert when their teen joins or leaves a group, or when a group grows meaningfully in size.

Parents can choose how their teen uses Channels, whose Status updates they can see and who can view their Status posts. The controls extend to Meta AI, with a choice between the default 13+ setting and a stricter Limited Content option.

Image supplied.

The parental tools arrive amid growing debate in South Africa over how children use connected devices. The Karri Parent 2026 Survey found that 91% of 2,780 South African school parents surveyed supported tighter controls on cellphone use during the school day. Another 74% believed children should be 16 or older before accessing social media.

WhatsApp’s approach focuses on giving parents control over selected settings rather than access to conversations. According to the company, personal messages and calls remain private when parental controls are active and continue to be protected by end-to-end encryption. Parents cannot use the controls to read those messages or listen to calls.

Setup uses a single PIN alongside alerts intended to keep parents informed about selected activity. The controls are entirely optional, and parents can adjust or switch them off at any time.

WhatsApp says the new system is the start of a wider development of parental controls, with future changes expected to be shaped by feedback from families.

* To learn more about WhatsApp parental controls, visit the website here.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.

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