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WhatsApp’s new Advanced Chat Privacy: what it can – and can’t – do
by Florian Bodoky
How to set up new parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp
14.3.2026
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
WhatsApp has introduced supervised children’s accounts for 10- to 12-year-olds. Parents or legal guardians can manage contacts, groups and privacy as well as retain control over usage.
WhatsApp messenger is expanding its offers to include special accounts for children. In future, parents will be able to set up accounts for their children and monitor their use more closely. The new model being gradually introduced is primarily aimed at children between the ages of ten and twelve – it may be some time before the function is available everywhere.
With this innovation, the provider is responding to reality. According to the MIKE study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) (in German), two thirds of ten to eleven-year-old children already use smartphones, including WhatsApp and social media. WhatsApp wants to provide a limited version, allowing adults to manage important settings.
How are parent-managed accounts different?
These new accounts work differently to a normal WhatsApp profile. You set it up as a parent and retain control over its use. For example, you decide which contacts can message your child or invite them to groups, as well as who your child can add to a group themselves. Contact requests also go through you. Strangers can’t simply send your child messages – even if they have their number. Instead, you check these requests and approve them if necessary. This prevents unknown users from contacting children directly.
The range of features is also restricted compared to normal WhatsApp accounts. Children can primarily chat and make phone calls. Other elements of the app remain deactivated. At the same time, messages remain protected in technical terms: chats and calls continue to run through the usual end-to-end encryption. The developers have also secured many settings with a PIN. Only you can change privacy options (profile photo, online status, etc.) or share new contacts.
How to set up a parent-managed account
To set up an account, you’ll need two devices: your own smartphone and your kid’s device. WhatsApp has to be installed on both devices.
Source: Meta
- Launch WhatsApp on your child’s device.
- Tap on «More options», then on «Create a parent-managed account».
- Enter your kid’s birthday and year of birth. Then tap «Continue».
- A QR code will then appear on the device. Scan it with your phone’s camera.
- Answer the question about your age by tapping «Agree and continue».
- Create a six-digit PIN (for the settings on your kid’s device).
- Tap «Done». For security reasons, your parental PIN will be requested again.
Below you’ll find an overview of features you can either activate or turn off. You can already check them out in more detail here. You can also define permitted contacts. This completes the set-up – you can change any setting again whenever you want.
Header image: Shutterstock
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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