WhatsApp lowered the minimum age for UK users from 16 to 13 in Apr 2024.

The change came as stricter age restrictions were being discussed at a regulatory level. Critics described it as a pre-emptive move to capture the teenage market before potential legislation closed the door.

WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption by default. That's good for privacy. It also means that content shared in private chats, including between adults and minors, is invisible to any form of platform moderation.

That's not a bug. It's a design choice and it has consequences.

⚡ Please don't forget to react & restack ⚡