Streaming & Apps › WhatsApp, Reddit & Pinterest
WhatsApp, Reddit & Pinterest parental controls
Last verified: Oct 14, 2026 · official source
- WhatsApp: Minimum age 13, or older where local law requires.
- Reddit: Minimum age 13 (higher where local law requires).
- Pinterest: Parents can set a 4-digit parental passcode on a teen's (under-18) account to lock privacy, messaging and account settings.
📣 Communication controls (start here)
Who can talk to your child is the most important setting. Controls stack in layers: console/device → platform account → in-game. Set every layer, because one layer doesn't always control another. Communication Safety Hub →
Pinterest: Parental passcode
| Text chat | Not confirmed |
| Voice chat | n/a |
| DMs / whispers | Messaging settings lockable with passcode |
| Friend requests | Not confirmed |
| Parties / joining | n/a |
| Online status / location | Not confirmed |
| Images, links, gifts | Not confirmed |
| Parents can see | Not confirmed |
| Parents can't see | Not confirmed |
| Block / report | Not confirmed |
| Defaults by age | Under 18 can be passcode-locked |
Sources: [1] · "Not confirmed" means we couldn't verify it in official sources yet.
iPhone / iPad: system-level communication
- Settings → Family → child → Allowed Contacts: choose who they can call, message and FaceTime, and require approval for new contacts.
- Settings → Family → child → Communication Safety On.
Covers Messages, FaceTime and Phone only, not chat inside games or other apps. Communication Safety blurs detected nudity, gore or violence. Under 13s need the Screen Time passcode to view it. Apple doesn't see the images.
Android (Family Link): system-level communication
- Family Link → child → contacts: "Only contacts I add" or "Contacts I add & limited groups."
Only applies to Google Messages, Google Dialer and Samsung Messages on watches. Other messaging apps aren't covered, so block them in Family Link if needed. If your child changes their default apps, the limits may stop working.
Minimum age 13, or older where local law requires.
⚠ A search summary mentioned parent-managed accounts for under-13s "where available." We couldn't confirm this on WhatsApp's pages.
Minimum age 13 (higher where local law requires).
Parents can set a 4-digit parental passcode on a teen's (under-18) account to lock privacy, messaging and account settings.
On TVs & streaming devices
- Roku: Create a 4-digit PIN at my.roku.com to restrict purchases, subscriptions and adding apps, plus ratings in The Roku Channel. source
- Fire TV: Settings → Preferences → Parental Controls, then set a PIN to protect ratings, purchases and apps. Separate from Prime Video's settings. source
- Apple TV: Settings → General → Restrictions, with a 4-digit passcode for purchases, apps, ratings and settings. source
What do TV-14, PG-13 and other ratings mean? →
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