By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, March 11 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms-owned (META.O) WhatsApp said on Wednesday it would allow parents to create accounts for pre-teens, restricted to messaging and calling, amid rising global concerns about the impact of social media and chat apps on children.
A number of countries around the world are now seeking to follow Australia, which last year became the first country to adopt a social media ban for teenagers because of mental health worries.
Messaging apps have also triggered concerns following hacking incidents where users were persuaded to divulge security verification and pin codes giving malicious actors access to personal accounts and group chats.
WhatsApp said the idea of parent-managed accounts came after feedback from parents, who wanted a messaging service tailored for under-13s.
“These accounts come with strict new default settings, parental controls and options for parents to guide their pre-teens’ (under 13s) first messaging experiences,” the messaging app said in a blog post.
“Once set up, these accounts are controlled by the parent or guardian who will be able to decide who can contact the account and which groups they can join. In addition, parents can review message requests from unknown contacts and manage the account’s privacy settings,” it said.

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- Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp announced the introduction of parent-managed accounts for pre-teens, allowing restricted messaging and calling.  
- This decision follows growing global concerns regarding social media's impact on children's mental health, with countries like Australia leading in implementing restrictions for teenagers.  
- The new accounts feature strict default settings and parental controls, enabling parents to manage contacts, group joins, and privacy settings for their under-13 children's messaging experiences.

WhatsApp launches parent-managed accounts for pre-teens amid safety concerns