Tag WhatsApp family safety

WhatsApp is introducing parent-managed accounts for children under 13, giving UK families a safer way to stay connected while maintaining parental oversight. The new feature allows parents to control who can contact their child, approve group invitations, manage privacy settings, and review messages from unknown contacts through a PIN-protected dashboard. With Status, Channels, Meta AI, and other social features disabled, under-13 accounts focus solely on messaging and calls in a more controlled environment. In this guide, we explain how WhatsApp's new supervised accounts work, what protections are included, how to set one up, and what UK parents need to know before handing their child their first smartphone.