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Under-13s will be allowed to use WhatsApp with parental consent under a tightening of its rules.
The Meta-owned firm will permit children to use the messaging service if they are signed up by a parent.
Parents will then link their accounts with parental controls in place.
The changes will be made an update set to be rolled out in the coming months.
Accounts must stay linked until a child turns 13, at which point, the parent can hold off on unlinking by up to a year.
It means parents will be able to control their privacy settings, who can contact their child and which groups they can join.
Parents will be notified if more members join a WhatsApp group or if someone turns off disappearing messages.
Under 13s won’t be able to turn on disappearing messages for one-to-one conversations.
The contents of messages will be hidden from parents and communication on the accounts will stay end-to-end encrypted.
WhatsApp said: “The new parental controls and settings are gated by a parent PIN on the managed device. Only parents can access and change privacy settings, ensuring they are empowered to tailor their family’s experience.”
It added: “Parents will soon have the option to delay transition to a standard WhatsApp account for 12 months so they can decide on the right timeline for their teen.”
“At that time, we encourage parents to review new settings available to their teenager’s standard WhatsApp account.”
It comes after campaigners have reacted with fury to Meta lowering the minimum age for WhatsApp users from 16 to 13 in the UK and EU.
The change came into force in April 2024.
The Smartphone Free Childhood campaign group said at the time the move “flies in the face of the growing national demand for big tech to do more to protect our children”.
“Officially allowing anyone over the age of 12 to use their platform (the minimum age was 16 before today) sends a message that it’s safe for children. But teachers, parents and experts tell a very different story. As a community we’re fed up with the tech giants putting their shareholder profits before protecting our children,” it said.