WhatsApp has taken another step in its child safety strategy with the launch of new accounts designed for minors and managed directly by their parents or guardians . This is a more restricted model of app usage, designed to allow pre-teens to communicate, but within very clear and supervised limits.
This move comes at a time when European governments, including Spain's, are reviewing minors' access to social media and messaging services , focusing on their impact on mental health, privacy, and exposure to inappropriate content. WhatsApp's proposal aims for a middle ground: neither a total ban nor unrestricted use, but rather supervised use.
What are the new WhatsApp accounts for minors like?
The platform, owned by Meta, explained that these accounts are aimed at pre-teens who are not yet old enough for a standard account on the service. In Spain, the primary target is children under 14, while in much of Europe the age limit is 13.
From the outset, these accounts come configured with stricter security settings and limited to basic messaging and calling functions . In other words, the child will not have access to certain common tools in the app, in order to reduce risks and distractions.
WhatsApp has emphasized that the idea for this model arose from requests by families who wanted a more child-friendly version of the messaging service . The company states that the feature was designed with input from experts and organizations specializing in childhood and digital safety.
Furthermore, the company anticipates a gradual global rollout over the coming months , during which it will gather feedback from parents and guardians to refine and improve the experience. Their aim, they state, is to establish a form of communication between families that is as secure and private as possible.
Meanwhile, this announcement comes at a time when other Meta platforms, such as Instagram, are also introducing parental monitoring tools, especially regarding teenagers searching for sensitive terms like suicide or self-harm.
What can and cannot minors do on these accounts?
Managed accounts for minors are designed to offer a much more restricted environment within WhatsApp . In practice, the minor can send and receive messages and make calls, but several of the app's more advanced features are excluded.
Specifically, WhatsApp has announced that features like Meta's AI, channels, and status updates will not be available for these types of profiles. Disappearing messages will also be unavailable in individual chats, a feature that, in the case of minors, could hinder supervision in potentially risky situations.
The aim of this reduction in features is to ensure that children's first digital experiences focus on the most basic and controllable communication , leaving out features that can add noise, exposure to strangers, or consumption of content that is difficult to filter.
Despite these limitations, the child retains some degree of personalization: they can choose their profile name and a photograph or identifying image . However, truly sensitive decisions—such as who can contact them, what personal information is displayed, or which groups they can join—will remain in the hands of the responsible adult.
This proposal aligns with growing institutional concerns in Europe, where countries like France, the United Kingdom, and Spain are debating restrictions on minors' access to digital platforms. In Spain, the government has expressed its intention to raise the minimum ages for social media and certain online services, and solutions like WhatsApp's can be seen as an intermediate step toward adaptation.
A linked account model under adult supervision
One of the cornerstones of this system is that the child's account is not independent, but is permanently linked to the WhatsApp account of the parent or guardian . It is not enough for the adult to authorize its use: they must create and actively manage it.
To activate the account, both the child's and the adult's phones must be available at the same time . Both devices must be physically together, as the registration process requires linking them through a verification system that confirms that the person setting up the child's profile is indeed a responsible adult.
WhatsApp explains that, during registration, users will be asked to enter the child's phone number and date of birth . This allows the platform to identify that the user is below the typical age for access and automatically activate the controls and restrictions designed for these types of accounts.
Once the initial setup is complete, the child's account is linked to the guardian's account within the WhatsApp ecosystem . From that moment on, any relevant changes or sensitive actions taken by the child can generate notifications and review options for the adult, always from their own device.
These features include receiving notifications if the preteen creates a new group, changes their profile name, or alters their profile picture . This gives parents more context about how their children interact within the app, without needing to access private conversations.
Parental controls, PIN, and conversation privacy
The control that adults exert over these accounts is implemented through a set of specific security and privacy settings . All of these parameters are locked using a parental PIN entered on the child's device, but known only to the parent or guardian.
This PIN prevents the child from independently modifying the set limits , such as who can add them to groups, who can see their profile picture, or whether unknown individuals can send them message requests. Any changes in these areas require direct adult intervention.
Furthermore, the platform allows the guardian to review and manage message requests from numbers not on the authorized contact list . This reduces the risk of the child interacting with strangers without the family's knowledge.
WhatsApp insists that, despite this layer of monitoring, all personal conversations maintain the end-to-end encryption that characterizes the application. In practical terms, this means that neither the company itself nor external third parties can read or listen to the messages and calls exchanged.
The system strikes a balance by giving parents access to contextual information and configuration controls, but not to the direct content of the chats . The data made available to them focuses primarily on contact requests, groups, and account settings, not on the specific messages the child sends or receives.
Ages, transition to standard account and regulatory context
Another important element is managing when a child reaches the minimum age for a standard account . WhatsApp has implemented a notification system whereby both the teenager and their parents will receive an informational alert when this change is approaching.
In this communication, the app will explain when the account can no longer be managed and what switching to a regular profile entails . However, the final decision still rests with the family: parents can delay the transition for up to twelve additional months if they feel it's not yet the right time.
In Europe, this approach aligns with an increasingly intense legal and social debate. Spain has advocated for restricting access to certain digital platforms for those under 16 , while other countries such as France and the United Kingdom are advancing similar legal projects, focusing on child protection.
Internationally, Australia has become a benchmark by implementing very strict restrictions on social media use by teenagers, based on arguments of mental health and the prevention of psychological harm. These decisions have led other jurisdictions to consider comparable measures.
Messaging apps are also under scrutiny. Incidents of fraud, account theft, and scams to obtain verification codes have highlighted that minors can be especially vulnerable to malicious practices if they lack a controlled environment and adult support in their use of technology.
In this context, WhatsApp's proposed managed accounts offer a middle ground between a total ban and unaccompanied use . The company is confident that, with the gradual rollout and the return of families and experts, it can strengthen this protection measure and adapt the tool to different national realities.
Everything points to the announcement becoming one of the app's most significant moves in the field of child safety: a model in which pre-teens maintain the possibility of communicating, but always within a closely supervised framework, limited to messages and calls, and with controls reinforced by parents , in line with the growing demands of European authorities, educators and families.
