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Tezzbuzz Desk- Popular messaging platform WhatsApp on Wednesday announced a new feature that will allow parents to have more control over their children’s accounts. The company said that this feature named Parent-Managed Accounts will be gradually rolled out in the coming months.

The purpose of this feature is to provide children under 13 years of age with a safe digital environment where they can only use essential features like messaging and calling. According to the company, it has been prepared based on the advice of families and online security experts.

Special account for children under 13 years of age

This new account is specially designed for children under 13 years of age. Such accounts will be created and controlled by the parent or guardian and will be linked to their own WhatsApp account.

These accounts will have stricter privacy settings and limited features than normal accounts. Children will only be able to send private messages and voice calls, allowing them to stay in touch only with family and trusted people. Apart from this, parents will also be able to decide which groups the child can join.

Children’s account will not have many features

Some popular features will not be available in Parent-Managed accounts, so that children’s online activity remains limited and safe. These include:

• Status update
• Channels
• AI features like Meta AI
• Option for Disappearing Messages in one-to-one chat

Apart from this, messages coming from an unknown number will go directly to the Message Requests folder. This folder can be opened only with the parent’s PIN. If a child adds, blocks, or reports a new contact, parents will be notified immediately.

There will be end-to-end encryption for security

The company says that despite all the restrictions, children’s accounts will still have the same end-to-end encryption that is used across the platform. This means that children’s chats and calls will also remain completely safe and private.

This way you can create a parent-managed account

If parents want to create an account for their child, they can choose the Parent-Managed Account option during sign-up itself.

To create an account:

• Child’s date of birth must be entered
• Both parent and child will need phones
• Both accounts will be linked together

Apart from this, parents will also have to confirm that they are adults. In some cases, selfie verification can also be done for identity verification.

Will be rolled out worldwide soon

Once the setup is complete, parents will be able to easily manage their child’s account through the parental controls and privacy settings available in the app. According to the company, this feature will be released in a phased manner across the world in the coming months, although initially its availability may differ in different regions.