Each group is set up by one person, known as the group admin, who is the only person who can add or remove participants and change or add further group administrators.Īnybody in the group, even if they’re not one of your child’s phone contacts, will be able to see messages that your child posts and likewise your child will be able to see theirs. The group chat function allows up to 256 people to chat in one conversation stream. If this is the case, the only thing you’ll need to make your child aware of the fact that can come into contact with strangers on group chats. As long as your child only has trusted people as contacts on their phone, it is a relatively safe social media app. WhatsApp’s main purpose is to send messages to friends - it isn’t public in the same way that Twitter is, and people can only message friends who are already added on their phone. Like many age restrictions on social media apps, some children may choose ignore this and sign up for WhatsApp when they’re younger. It had previously dropped to 13 years old but in April 2018 returned to 16, as a response to data-protection legislation. The minimum age of use for WhatsApp is 16 years old. What parents need to know Minimum age restriction It is estimated that WhatsApp has over 1.5 billion active monthly users worldwide.ĭigital parenting advice straight to your inboxĬlick here to sign up to our parents’ newsletter, packed with advice, resources, articles, activities and guides to the most popular apps and games WhatsApp offers users the ability to send images, voice notes and a wide range of emojis, in addition to voice and video calls. Users must verify their account with a standard mobile number to start using the app.

It is available on all major mobile operating systems.

WhatsApp is a free app that allows users to send encrypted messages to other users, so long as they have an internet connection.

Is whatsapp safe