BERLIN: WhatsApp is normally only accessible to teenagers aged 13 and over, but Meta has now announced parent-managed accounts for WhatsApp that will allow parents to set up the app for children aged 10 to 12, the company says.
Usage will be limited to messages and calls, and parents will have various control options, the company said. That includes deciding who can contact the child and which groups the child may join.
The move comes counter to worldwide debates among governments on possible measures to limit social media apps for younger users, after Australia last year banned several apps for teenagers over mental health concerns.
"With input from families and experts, we're rolling out new parent-managed accounts that allow parents or guardians to set up WhatsApp for pre-teens," the company announced on Wednesday.
In addition, parents can review message requests from unknown contacts and manage the account’s privacy settings. Access to the new control options and to the privacy settings will be secured by a PIN that parents receive when setting up the child’s account.
The new feature is to be rolled out over the coming months in app updates for both Android and iOS, according to the company. The exact set-up process can already be found on WhatsApp’s Help pages. – dpa
