WhatsApp develops new parental control features
According to a Sunday report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is developing new parental control features that would allow guardians to manage "secondary accounts" for their children, offering greater oversight on privacy settings and contact lists.
- Tech
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 05:49 | 12 January 2026
WhatsApp appears to be developing new features aimed at giving parents greater oversight and control over their children's accounts, WABetaInfo reported Sunday.
The outlet, widely regarded as a key source of news on WhatsApp updates, said the messaging platform is exploring tools that would allow parents to manage linked secondary accounts.
Under the proposed system, younger users would be able to create accounts with limited functionality, allowing parents to control who can message or call their child, the report said. By default, secondary accounts would restrict interactions to contacts only.
"This default configuration helps reduce the risk of unsolicited contact and potentially harmful communication, as it prevents unknown users from reaching the child directly," WABetaInfo said.
Parents would also be able to review and adjust key privacy settings and receive updates about account or chat activity, without being able to read message content or listen to calls.
"This will establish the relationship between the two profiles while preserving the privacy of messages and calls," the outlet added.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is currently testing the new tools, which are expected to be rolled out in a future update.