WhatsApp for an 11 year old

[katienana]

My son just got his first phone and I've set it up with parental controls. However this means he can't have WhatsApp, so can't join the group family chat which he wants to do (to message aunties uncles and grandparents). Is there a way to keep safety filters on but allow WhatsApp? It is there another free messaging service we could all get. I know WhatsApp is classed as social media but he doesn't want to talk to anyone other than his family!

Are there other child family members in the WhatsApp group?

Yes my nephew is 12 and I asked my sister how they set his phone up but she didn't know as her dh did it

Why can’t he just use iMessage or SMS messages?

I mean I know he wants to be in the family group but does he have to be?

I don’t see WhatsApp as any different to texting really - you can set it up so he can’t be added to other chats without approval.

Id say yes but that in general for a child that age that you have the password and can check it anyway.

It’ll be phone specific, what phone has he got?

WhatsApp is no different to texting. It's just over the internet.

It's an android phone so no imessage. I'll be checking the phone and taking it away at night.
Its so annoying I want to be able to approve what apps he downloads but I think I'll lose that if I change his age to 16 in order to allow WhatsApp

I speak as a head of year, and saying WhatsApp has the problem because they start group chat and they caused no end of heartache

Plus lol at his way in. Very cunning

we’re iPhone here so I can’t help with your situation but there must be a way to do it - ours have loads of parental controls on their iPhones but still have WhatsApp. Can’t remember how I set it up but I expect I did a lot of googling. See also a variety of Xbox, PlayStation etc games with complex age requirements..!

If you use the Google family controls to set his phone controls up then you can allow apps individulla and even set specific times or certain numbers of minutes per day per app.

You can view WhatsApp in a web browser so if you decide to allow it, do so on the basis that you will regularly be viewing his messages he shouldn't expect privacy.