Anyone managed to set up a parent controlled WhatsApp account?

[ClaireLou86]

Just posted this in the tech forum but posting here too in case anyone can help!

My ten year old is asking for Whatsapp on her iPad so she can keep in touch with her friends over the summer holidays. I don't want her to have the regular version for over 13s, but I know Whatsapp introduced parent-controlled accounts a few months ago. This would mean we would have to approve any new contacts and new groups before she can add/join.

I've downloaded Whatsapp to her iPad and tried to follow the steps to set it up as a parent-controlled account, but the only option it's showing me on screen is to sync it to my phone like a normal account, ie it would be my Whatsapp chats showing on her ipad. There doesn't seem to be an option to set up the parent controlled version.

I've tried all the usual things, deleted and reinstalled Whatsapp, made sure it's up to date on my phone etc. It's still not giving me the option to add the parent-controlled account. Apparently Whatsapp are rolling it out gradually so it might not be available for us yet (although it has been introduced for the UK as a country) but just wondering if anyone else has managed to do this and if so, is there anything i'm missing here? Thanks!

Watching as I need to do exactly the same thing for my 11 year old

You can’t have WhatsApp on an iPad without a phone account to link it to. That’s why the only option is to sync it to an existing account.

She needs a phone. You set it up on her phone, and select parent managed account.

From Google -

How to Set Up the Account
Setting up the account requires both devices side-by-side:
Update WhatsApp: Ensure both you and your child have the latest version installed.
Create Account: Open WhatsApp on the child's phone, select More options, and tap Create a parent-managed account.
Verify Age: Enter the child's date of birth and verify their phone number.
Link Devices: Use your primary phone to scan the QR code displayed on your child's screen.
Set PIN: Create a 6-digit parent PIN on your phone to restrict settings.

Oh wow I didn't know there was a parent controlled one

This is really helpful, thank you. We do have an old iPhone linked to her watch, she doesn’t use the phone itself but it means we can call her on her watch. I’ll try linking it to that. Ta!

Bear in mind WhatsApp now has “channels” which are basically Instagram.