WhatsApp has introduced new parental controls designed to give parents additional tools for managing how their teenagers use the messaging platform.
The new controls are aimed at helping parents understand and manage certain aspects of a teen's WhatsApp experience while still allowing teenagers to communicate with friends and family.
WHAT ARE THE NEW PARENTAL CONTROLS?
The new features give parents additional visibility into some of the settings and interactions associated with a teen's account.
Parents can receive notifications related to certain group activity and can have more control over settings such as who can add the teen to groups.
WhatsApp is also expanding controls related to profile-photo visibility and other privacy settings.
HOW DO THE CONTROLS WORK?
Parents can use the available parental-control options to manage specific settings associated with their teenager's account.
The controls are designed to provide additional oversight without giving parents access to the contents of private conversations.
WhatsApp continues to use end-to-end encryption for personal messages and calls, meaning the company says the content of those communications remains private.
WHY IS WHATSAPP ADDING THESE FEATURES?
Teenagers increasingly use messaging and social platforms to communicate, share content and participate in group conversations.
WhatsApp says its new controls are intended to give families additional tools to help teenagers use the platform more safely.
The company is also continuing to expand safety and privacy features for younger users as messaging platforms become a larger part of everyday communication.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TEEN USERS?
Teen users can continue using WhatsApp for messaging, calls and group conversations, while parents get additional tools to manage selected settings and receive relevant notifications.
The new controls are part of WhatsApp's broader approach to improving safety features for teenagers while maintaining the privacy protections provided by its messaging system.
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