WhatsApp is developing secondary accounts for children, aiming to improve online safety while preserving end-to-end encryption and user privacy.
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| As WhatsApp experiments with child-linked accounts, experts assess whether limited parental oversight can improve safety without weakening encryption. Image: CH |
Tech Desk — January 25, 2026:
WhatsApp’s move to introduce secondary accounts for children highlights the growing pressure on messaging platforms to address child safety without compromising privacy. The feature, still under development, reflects an attempt to navigate one of the tech industry’s most sensitive fault lines: parental oversight versus private communication.
Under the proposed system, parents will be able to create a secondary account for their child that is digitally linked to a primary account. These child accounts will come with built-in restrictions, including limits on who can contact the child. Messages and calls will only be allowed from known contacts, reducing the risk of exposure to strangers and unsolicited communication—an increasingly common concern among parents and regulators alike.
Unlike traditional parental monitoring tools, WhatsApp’s approach deliberately avoids direct surveillance. Parents will not be able to read their child’s chats or listen to calls. Instead, they will receive usage reports and high-level insights into activity patterns. End-to-end encryption will remain unchanged, ensuring that private conversations stay private, even from account holders with parental control privileges.
This design choice appears intentional. WhatsApp has long positioned encryption as non-negotiable, and weakening it—even for child accounts—could set a precedent with global implications. By offering insight without access, the company is attempting to satisfy safety demands while maintaining trust among its billions of users.
The feature also addresses a behavioral gap. Children and teenagers often overlook or misunderstand privacy settings, leaving accounts more exposed than parents realize. Allowing adults to manage key safety settings centrally could reduce that risk, especially for younger users who are new to digital communication platforms.
Still, much depends on execution. WhatsApp has acknowledged that the main parental control tools are still being tested, with experiments underway to ensure they integrate smoothly into existing account settings. Poor usability or unclear controls could limit adoption, pushing parents back toward third-party solutions or device-level restrictions.
Strategically, secondary accounts may help WhatsApp stay ahead of tightening global regulations around child online safety. Governments across North America and Europe are demanding clearer safeguards for minors, and platforms that fail to act face increasing legal and reputational risks. By embedding parental tools directly into the app, WhatsApp signals a more proactive stance.
Whether the feature ultimately succeeds will depend on how well it resonates with families. If it offers meaningful protection without undermining privacy, secondary accounts could become a model for other encrypted platforms. If not, it may underscore how difficult it is to design child-safe digital spaces without crossing the line into surveillance.