WhatsApp Now Allows Kids To Chat With Friends But Only With Parental Support: How It Works | Tech News

Last Updated:March 13, 2026, 10:40 IST

WhatsApp is now allowing pre-teens to use the messaging app but most of its features are locked and the controls are with parents.

WhatsApp wants to tap into the pre-teen users with the help of parents.

WhatsApp is letting kids and pre-teens use the messaging app which is a big change for the platform as it looks to battle the ongoing concerns regarding child safety on the internet. Meta is making drastic changes to the kids version of WhatsApp which can only run with parental controls and also missing a host of features that you can access through the regular version of WhatsApp. 

Social media apps are getting banned for kids in some regions and parents are worried about the misuse of these platforms, especially WhatsApp where people can connect just with the access to the phone number. Online addiction is also a big reason why apps need to be better controlled and WhatsApp is one of the many to go in this direction. 

WhatsApp For Kids Under 13: How To Set It Up 

Parental controls are not new as a concept and WhatsApp is merely integrating the existing system into its own platform. Here’s how WhatsApp for the pre-teens is available and how people can make it work: 

• You need both the parent and kids devices next to each other
• Scan the QR code that you can see on WhatsApp running on your kid’s phone
• The device linking process will be a success

The main work starts after the linking is completed. Parents will have the control over all the activities on the kids app and also be given the ability to access the content and handle the privacy settings for their account. They can decide who can chat with the kids account, and even which group their kid can join on WhatsApp 

More Privacy For Kids 

The Kids version of WhatsApp does not have Channels, Status or even use features like disappearing chats and view-once photos. WhatsApp assures all the contents besides the parents are end-to-end encrypted which is now being legally challenged in the US but seems to be working in its usual form. 

Kids accounts have an age limit and WhatsApp has a system in place wherein these users will be notified about the option to change their account to a standard profile without any parental controls.

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