Tech Desk 
Jan 24, 2026
WhatsApp is reportedly working on parental controls and secondary accounts, expanding on details shared in earlier reports.
WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp update will allow parents to create and manage secondary WhatsApp accounts for children who either do not meet WhatsApp's minimum age requirement or need restricted access for safety reasons. These accounts are said to continue to limit communication to saved contacts only.
Currently, the feature is under development and is not yet available to beta testers. WhatsApp is expected to roll it out in a future update once development is complete.
How to set up WhatsApp primary accounts?
According to WABetaInfo, parents will need to connect the child's account to their own by scanning a QR code and creating a six-digit primary PIN. This PIN will be needed to approve sensitive changes and prevent unauthorised modifications on the secondary account.
WhatsApp's Chat Lock functionality will be unavailable, ensuring conversations cannot be hidden from device-level review. These limitations are expected to reduce exposure to unknown content and prevent hidden activity.
Parents can see certain actions as well, such as when a new contact is added, but they will still not have access to message content or call details. End-to-end encryption will remain unchanged, according to the feature tracker.
The secondary accounts will reportedly stay linked to a parent's account until manually removed or until the child reaches the age permitted under WhatsApp's Terms of Service.
However, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform has yet to officially reveal the information about the WhatsApp update.
