It looks like WhatsApp is finally taking a serious step toward making its platform safer for younger users. The Meta-owned messaging app is reportedly working on a new set of parental controls to protect minors and manage their exposure to strangers.
The feature, currently in development, is designed to let parents or guardians link their child’s WhatsApp account to their own, giving them a range of privacy and security controls, without crossing the line into surveillance.
How will WhatsApp implement parental control?
According to the WABetaInfo report, the company is developing what it calls secondary accounts, profiles explicitly designed for minors and teenagers. These accounts will be connected to a parent or guardian’s primary account, creating a two-tier system within WhatsApp for the first time.
Here’s how it reportedly works. The parent account sends a dedicated link to the child’s account, connecting the two. Once linked, parents gain access to a dashboard of privacy settings that can be managed remotely.
These controls include who can see the child’s profile picture, “last seen” status, About info, and whether read receipts are enabled.
By default, the secondary account will come with strict boundaries. Teenagers will only be able to text or call contacts saved in their phonebook, and they’ll only receive messages or calls from those duplicate contacts. Even though group invites are limited, only people already saved as contacts can add the minor to a group chat.
In addition, the parent account is said to receive activity updates about the child’s account. While WhatsApp hasn’t clarified exactly what information this includes, WABetaInfo suggests it might involve general usage summaries rather than private data. Importantly, parents will not be able to see message content, chat lists, call logs, or recordings.
That balance, between oversight and privacy, seems central to WhatsApp’s approach. The goal appears to be creating a safer experience for minors while ensuring their personal conversations remain private, even from parents. It’s a fine line, but one that Meta seems keen to get right.
WhatsApp Parental Control feature: Launch date
The parental control feature is still under development and hasn’t been released to beta testers yet. The report notes that visibility varies across regions, suggesting the rollout may begin in select markets before a wider release. While WhatsApp hasn’t officially confirmed a timeline, the feature’s progress indicates it could arrive in the coming months.
The timing makes sense. With more young users joining messaging platforms, often for school, coaching groups, or to stay connected with family, the need for safer digital spaces is greater than ever. WhatsApp, which already has over two billion users worldwide, is likely aiming to bridge that gap without alienating its younger audience.
The introduction of secondary accounts could also help Meta align WhatsApp more closely with safety standards already in place across products like Instagram, where parental supervision tools are now commonplace.
If all goes as planned, parents may soon be able to guide their teenagers’ digital habits directly from their own WhatsApp, a small but significant shift in how the world’s most popular messaging app handles safety. For now, though, it’s a waiting game to see when the feature finally lands on devices.
