The new controls allow parents and teenagers to set up certain aspects of the WhatsApp experience together. Parents can manage selected privacy settings, monitor certain group activity and control how their teen uses Channels and Status.

The controls also extend to Meta AI, with parents able to choose between the standard experience for users aged 13 and above and a more restrictive option that limits the topics a teen can discuss with the AI assistant.

However, WhatsApp has kept private conversations outside the scope of the controls. Parents cannot use the new features to read their teenager’s messages or listen to private WhatsApp calls.

Parents can manage key privacy settings

The new controls give parents a way to influence some of the privacy settings on a teen’s WhatsApp account.

For example, parents can decide who can see their teen’s profile photo and who can add the teenager to WhatsApp groups.

The settings are designed to involve both parents and teens rather than giving parents unrestricted control over the account.

If a teenager later wants to loosen certain restrictions established by a parent, approval from the parent will be required through a parent-set PIN.

This approach gives families the option to establish boundaries while allowing teenagers to continue using WhatsApp with a degree of independence.

WhatsApp says the controls are intended to help parents support their teens’ digital habits rather than turn the platform into a tool for constantly monitoring everything they do.

Parents can receive group activity alerts

One of the new features focuses on WhatsApp group activity.

Parents can receive notifications when their teen joins or leaves a WhatsApp group. They can also be alerted when a group that their teenager is already part of grows significantly in size.

The feature gives parents information about changes in their child’s group participation without revealing the content of conversations within those groups.

This distinction is important because WhatsApp’s private messaging system remains protected by end-to-end encryption.

The group alerts therefore provide a limited form of visibility into a teen’s activity while keeping the actual conversations inaccessible to parents.

New controls for Channels and Status

WhatsApp is also expanding parental controls to other parts of the app, including Channels and Status.

Parents can decide how their teen uses Channels and control whose Status updates the teenager can see.

They can also manage who is able to see the teen’s own Status updates.

Status allows WhatsApp users to share photos, videos, text and other updates with selected contacts. The additional controls give parents more influence over who their teenager interacts with through this feature.

The settings are particularly aimed at helping families establish privacy boundaries without requiring parents to inspect the content of individual conversations.

Meta AI gets a stricter option for teens

The new parental controls also cover Meta AI, WhatsApp’s artificial intelligence assistant.

Parents can choose between the standard Meta AI experience available to users aged 13 and above and a stricter setting called "Limited Content".

The Limited Content option places additional restrictions on the topics a teenager can discuss with Meta AI.

This gives parents another way to manage their child’s interaction with AI within WhatsApp. The feature comes as technology companies increasingly introduce age-specific settings and controls around AI-powered services.

The controls are designed to provide an additional layer of parental guidance while allowing teenagers to continue using the AI assistant within the boundaries selected by their families.

Parents still cannot read WhatsApp chats

Despite the expanded controls, WhatsApp has not given parents access to the contents of their teenager’s private messages.

Parents cannot read messages sent or received by their teen through WhatsApp using these parental controls. They also cannot listen to private WhatsApp calls.

WhatsApp says personal messages and calls remain protected by end-to-end encryption. Under this system, the content of a conversation is intended to be accessible only to the people participating in it.

WhatsApp itself cannot read or hear the contents of end-to-end encrypted personal messages and calls.

This means the new parental controls focus on account settings and certain activity signals rather than surveillance of private communications.

Controls are optional for families

The parental controls are optional, allowing families to decide whether they want to use them.

Parents can adjust the settings according to the level of support they believe their teenager needs. The controls can also be changed or turned off later.

The ability to modify the settings means families can adapt the restrictions as a teenager becomes more familiar with online communication and develops greater independence.

WhatsApp’s approach therefore separates parental guidance from access to private conversations.

WhatsApp rolls out controls on Android and iOS

The new parental controls are being rolled out gradually on both Android and iOS.

Because the rollout is taking place in stages, some parents and teenagers may not see the new controls immediately. Availability can depend on when the feature reaches a particular account or region.

Users who do not have access to the controls yet may therefore need to wait for the update to reach their account.

Once available, the features provide families with additional tools to manage privacy, group participation, Status, Channels and Meta AI use.

A balance between safety and privacy

WhatsApp’s latest update attempts to address two competing concerns around teenagers’ use of messaging platforms: parental oversight and personal privacy.

Parents can receive information about selected activities and establish boundaries around privacy settings, groups, Status, Channels and Meta AI. At the same time, the contents of private messages and calls remain protected by end-to-end encryption.

The distinction means the new controls do not turn WhatsApp into a system where parents can read everything their teenagers send or receive.

Instead, families can use the optional settings to establish rules and receive limited activity alerts while allowing teens to retain the privacy of their personal conversations.

With the features now rolling out across Android and iOS, WhatsApp users will gradually gain access to the expanded controls as they become available on their accounts.