Before the school year: The WhatsApp move that will protect children

The new school year starts tomorrow, and students will return not only to their desks but also to intensive activity in class and social WhatsApp groups, which are unfortunately often used as a tool for bullying. Ahead of the return to school, the question arises again of how to protect children from exposure to offensive content and requests from strangers online.

In March 2026, WhatsApp launched a feature for special accounts for children under parental management. This is a significant policy change intended to reduce exposure for young users under 13 and provide parents with tools for direct supervision. Ran Braun, director of the Mitbagrim Institute, emphasizes the importance of this tool: without parental control settings, children should not be on WhatsApp. Braun clarifies that for the feature to work, the child's actual age must be set in the account (under 13).

What does a managed WhatsApp account include?

Managed accounts are intended for messaging and calls only and include built-in control measures:

• Contact filtering: by default, only contacts saved on the child's device can send messages, call, or view their profile picture and online status. Only parents are authorized to change these settings.

• Approval of requests and groups: messages and group invitations from unknown contacts are forwarded to a dedicated request folder in the parent's account for approval. Only parents can approve addition to groups.

• Attention in groups: if parents approve joining a group that includes contacts not saved by the child, the child will be able to see the messages sent by other members.

• No ads and advanced features: these accounts do not display ads, and many features have been removed: Meta AI, Channels, statuses, real-time location sharing, WhatsApp Web/Desktop, Chat Lock, view-once messages, and disappearing messages.

Braun emphasizes that supervision maintains privacy: you do not get access to read the child's correspondence, but you control privacy settings and receive alerts about important actions, such as when the child adds a contact or reports someone. Personal messages remain end-to-end encrypted.

What happens later?

• Reaching age 13: when children reach 13, parents receive a notification that they must disconnect from the managed account. After disconnection, the account gains access to all features.

• Suspension of parent account: if the parent's account is disabled, all linked accounts will be disabled until linked to another active parent account.

Step-by-step setup guide

An updated version of WhatsApp is required on both devices.

Step 1: Setup on the child's device

1. Download WhatsApp and choose 'Create an account under parental management'.

2. Enter the child's phone number and exact birthday.

3. Tap 'Continue' to proceed to linking the parent's account.

Step 2: Linking from the parent's phone

1. Scan the QR code displayed on the child's device using the parent's camera.

2. Tap the link and verify you are an adult (18+).

3. Create a dedicated 6-digit PIN code for privacy settings — do not share it with the child.

Step 3: Finishing the setup

1. Return to the child's device and enter the parent's PIN code created in the previous step.

2. Tap 'Continue'. The managed account is now active, and the child can start using the application in a protected manner.