WhatsApp is working on a new 'Parental Controls' feature designed to give parents tools for managing their children's online safety when using the messaging app. The company is developing a new linked secondary account system, which will allow parents to supervise their child's profile without invading their privacy.
WhatsApp Might Add Parental Controls Real Soon
Reported first by WABetaInfo, this new feature will allow a child's account to be linked to a parent's main profile. This allows parents to manage specific settings for the secondary account. However, it does not give them access to read messages or listen to calls, keeping the kids' privacy in check.
Once linked, parents can restrict who can interact with the child. One of the key default settings, once the feature rolls out, is that parents will be able to limit incoming messages and calls to saved contacts only. This could reduce the risk of unsolicited contact from strangers.
The report further emphasises that end-to-end encryption will remain intact, ensuring that personal conversations stay private between the sender and the recipient. The main goal of WhatsApp's parental control feature is to help parents configure safety settings that minors might otherwise ignore.
This is a great move from WhatsApp parent Meta as it addresses a long-standing gap in WhatsApp's safety features. It offers a middle ground that provides the necessary parental involvement while also respecting the privacy of younger users, bringing peace of mind for both types of users.
Besides the new parental controls, WhatsApp added Member Tags to group chats recently, along with shorter disappearing message timers, the ability to share recent group chat history, custom tags, event reminders, and more stickers.
The secondary accounts feature is currently under development, and there is no information on when it will potentially roll out to beta users. Stay tuned for beta tests and stable rollout in the coming weeks.
