09:32Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
WhatsApp Introduces Parental Controls That Alert Parents When Their Child Joins a Group
WhatsApp is rolling out new parental control tools for teen accounts. Parents will be able to manage more precisely how their children use groups, Channels, Status updates, and Meta AI. Earlier this year, the company introduced parent-managed accounts for minors. A separate parental controls section was also added to iOS settings a few weeks ago.
The new settings let parents choose who can add a teen to a group and who can see their profile picture. Parents can receive a notification when their child joins or leaves a group. An alert is also sent when a group reaches 30, 100, or 250 members. In addition, parents can restrict which Channels the teen can use, whose Status updates they can see, and who can see the teen’s own updates. All settings are protected by a PIN set by the parent. Whenever the teen attempts to make a change, parental approval will be required. Parents can turn off the controls at any time. However, these tools do not show the child’s messages or calls to the parent. According to WhatsApp, private messages and calls will remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the participants in the conversation will be able to see and hear them.
There are 2 options for Meta AI. One is the standard setting for users age 13 and older, while the other is a stricter “Restricted Content” mode. The stricter mode reduces the number of topics the teen can discuss with the chatbot. Features such as private chats and message summaries that rely on private processing are also disabled. The parent decides which setting to use.
Rather than requiring strict age verification from every user, WhatsApp is giving families control. Although the service has expanded age verification for some features, the rule does not apply to every account. Current age-verification methods often require an identity document, a passport photo, or a facial scan. Sharing such information creates privacy risks. Moreover, these rules can also be circumvented with a VPN. The new tools come amid lawsuits filed against Meta over allegations of harm to children and pressure from lawmakers. In August, the company agreed to pay $18 billion (approximately AZN 30.6 billion) to settle a lawsuit brought by 29 US states. Content settings resembling age ratings and accounts for minors were also introduced this year. Instagram sends alerts to parents when children search for content about self-harm.
The new settings let parents choose who can add a teen to a group and who can see their profile picture. Parents can receive a notification when their child joins or leaves a group. An alert is also sent when a group reaches 30, 100, or 250 members. In addition, parents can restrict which Channels the teen can use, whose Status updates they can see, and who can see the teen’s own updates. All settings are protected by a PIN set by the parent. Whenever the teen attempts to make a change, parental approval will be required. Parents can turn off the controls at any time. However, these tools do not show the child’s messages or calls to the parent. According to WhatsApp, private messages and calls will remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning only the participants in the conversation will be able to see and hear them. There are 2 options for Meta AI. One is the standard setting for users age 13 and older, while the other is a stricter “Restricted Content” mode. The stricter mode reduces the number of topics the teen can discuss with the chatbot. Features such as private chats and message summaries that rely on private processing are also disabled. The parent decides which setting to use. Rather than requiring strict age verification from every user, WhatsApp is giving families control. Although the service has expanded age verification for some features, the rule does not apply to every account. Current age-verification methods often require an identity document, a passport photo, or a facial scan. Sharing such information creates privacy risks. Moreover, these rules can also be circumvented with a VPN. The new tools come amid lawsuits filed against Meta over allegations of harm to children and pressure from lawmakers. In August, the company agreed to pay $18 billion (approximately AZN 30.6 billion) to settle a lawsuit brought by 29 US states. Content settings resembling age ratings and accounts for minors were also introduced this year. Instagram sends alerts to parents when children search for content about self-harm.