Meta launches parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp: What are they, how can parents set up a managed account for their children and all other details

WhatsApp's parent company, Meta, has introduced parent-managed accounts for the popular messaging service. This new feature allows parents or guardians to set up WhatsApp accounts for children under 13. The feature adds parental controls and default safety settings that limit the experience to messaging and calling while giving parents oversight of their child’s account activity.According to the company, the new accounts were developed after feedback from families who said they wanted a way to introduce pre-teens to messaging platforms with more supervision and restrictions. The company has confirmed that the feature will roll out gradually over the coming months. and may not yet be available in all regions.Parents who want to introduce WhatsApp to children under 13 will see an option during registration to create a parent-managed account. This option appears after entering the child’s date of birth.The setup process includes instructions that guide parents through linking the child’s account with their own existing WhatsApp account. Parents must also confirm they are an adult by submitting a selfie during the setup process.Once the process is complete, the parent-managed account will remain connected to the parent’s account and can be supervised through the available controls.For parent-managed accounts, messages from unknown contacts are automatically placed in a message requests folder. This folder can only be accessed after entering the parent PIN on the managed account’s device, allowing parents to review requests from people not on the contact list.If a message is received from someone already saved as a contact and is considered unwanted, the account can report it or block it, just as other WhatsApp users can.WhatsApp also notifies parents when a parent-managed account adds, blocks or reports another user, so they are aware of these actions. By default, pre-teens using parent-managed accounts can only be added to groups by the parent managing the account.Any other group invitations are sent as invite links, which can only be approved by the parent using their parent PIN. When reviewing a group invitation, WhatsApp provides additional details, including the group members and the administrator.When the group membership undergoes significant changes or the group activates features like disappearing messages, WhatsApp also notifies the parents.WhatsApp said that parents and managed accounts will receive notifications in advance when they become eligible to transition to a standard WhatsApp account.Parents will also have the option to delay the transition for up to 12 months, allowing them to decide when their child’s move to a regular account will take place.At that stage, WhatsApp recommends that parents review the privacy and safety settings available on the teenager’s standard account.