Best WhatsApp settings for a 13-year-old
Age-appropriate WhatsApp settings for a UK 13-year-old, with group-add restrictions, profile photo to contacts only and the scam talk.
WhatsApp's UK minimum age is 13. At 13 the main risks are stranger group adds, scam messages (job, gift card, romance, sextortion), and image-based abuse inside friendship groups. The setting changes below remove most of the everyday exposure.
Go through these with your 13-year-old; they take five minutes.
Step-by-step
Set Last Seen, Online, Profile Photo, About and Status to My Contacts
Settings → Privacy → set each to My Contacts.
Restrict group adds to My Contacts
Settings → Privacy → Groups → My Contacts (or My Contacts Except...). Tip: The single most important setting at 13.
Turn on two-step verification with a parent-known PIN
Settings → Account → Two-step verification → set a 6-digit PIN that the parent also knows. Tip: Stops account hijack and lets you recover access if the child is locked out.
Set default disappearing messages on personal chats
Settings → Privacy → Default message timer → 7 days.
Turn off photo, video and document auto-download
Settings → Storage and Data → Media auto-download → Photos and Videos to Wi-Fi only or Never. Tip: Stops unwanted images appearing in the camera roll automatically.
Agree the scam and the nude-image rules
Tell them: nobody legitimate ever offers them GBP 100 for a quick favour, asks for an Amazon gift card code, or wants a nude photo. If anyone does, they show you and we report together, no consequences. Tip: Sextortion of UK teen boys has risen sharply; the calm "show me, no consequences" rule is the best protection.
Review group list together each term
Open WhatsApp → Chats → look through groups. Leave any "hookup", "meet-up", random pranks or chats they cannot explain.
What not to do
- Do not give a 13-year-old an adult account just because it is easier.
- Do not rely on the app's default settings; review them together.
- Do not demand all passwords with no warning; agree access rules first.
- Do not punish honesty, or your teen will stop telling you when things go wrong.
Red flags to watch for
- Secrecy about who they are talking to, or hiding the screen when you walk in.
- A new "friend" who is noticeably older or pushes for private chat off the app.
- Late-night activity spikes, especially DMs or video calls after midnight.
- Requests to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord DMs or Snapchat.
- Gifts, V-Bucks, Robux, gift cards or money offered in exchange for photos or calls.
- Sexualised language, requests for images, or pressure to keep secrets from parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.