It's 'like putting a lock on the front door while leaving the back door wide open'

WhatsApp has been spared from the under-16s social media ban rolled out by the UK Government.

The UK Government said in a press statement: "The ban will therefore include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

"We do not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban.

"In a move to protect children online and address the scale of the challenge, the government will also go further than a blanket ban on social media with world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s."

The Meta-owned chat app lets you share text messages, videos, photos, documents, and GIFs with others. You can also join communities and group chats to stay connected to family, social clubs, work announcements, and more.

However, some argue that leaving WhatsApp creates an outlet for children to stay exposed to potential harm.

George Bevis, co-founder of online child safety app Safety Mode, told GB News: "A social media ban is a bit like putting a lock on the front door while leaving the back door wide open. Let's be honest about what it can and can't do. It will stop the kids who follow the rules. It won't stop the kids who don't.

"Children aren't just spending time on Instagram and TikTok. They're on WhatsApp, YouTube, gaming platforms, and countless other apps. Harmful content doesn't disappear because one app is banned.

"Parents need protection that works across the entire device, not just a handful of platforms. And while politicians debate legislation and tech companies work out how to enforce it, families need solutions today, not a few years down the line. The technology already exists. We've built it."

According to the terms and conditions outlined by WhatsApp, you must be at least 13 years old to create your own account. For younger children, Meta launched restricted accounts for younger users earlier this year.

Dubbed Parent-Managed Accounts, it lets you set up a supervised account for your child if they're under 13. You'll be able to decide who can message, ring, or video call your kid.

You can even control which group chats they're allowed to join. Until now, WhatsApp was only available to those aged 13 or older, with younger users unable to download the app — which is owned by Facebook parent company, Meta — to their smartphone or tablet.

However, there is still concern over who can contact children on the platform.

Dr Jemma Anderson, a HCPC-registered Doctor in Educational and Child Psychology, told GB News: "The group chat dynamics are the biggest day-to-day issue for children. Being added or removed from a group becomes a visible and public act of inclusion or exclusion. As children are developmentally egocentric, so they're still building the capacity to fully grasp how their actions impact someone else.

"Removing somebody from a group chat can feel like a quick and clear way to send a message, without any real understanding of the impact it has on the other person. A child finding out they have been removed from the group chat is a small thing on paper, but a genuinely painful relational injury to experience."

In the case that parents are worried about strangers contacting their children, WhatsApp does have protections in place to limit this.

For instance, you can enable either My Contacts, Everyone, or My Contacts Except. The My Contacts Except gives you the most control because you can search and select who you want to exclude from your list. You can toggle this on in your settings.

There's also an argument that instead of completely blocking apps like WhatsApp, tech firms should be giving parents even more tools that can be used to protect and act as guardrails for children.

Cybersecurity expert Nikki Webb told GB News: "Young people need practical digital literacy skills. They should understand privacy settings, scams, manipulation tactics, online grooming risks, misinformation and how to seek help when something feels wrong.

"Parents need support too. Many feel overwhelmed by the pace of technological change and struggle to keep up with the platforms their children use every day.

"Technology companies must continue investing in age-appropriate experiences, safety features, reporting mechanisms and tools that help parents and young people navigate risk safely."

Similar to WhatsApp, other tech firms like Apple have acted on this request and are releasing more parental controls across devices. The Californian company previewed several new features designed to keep younger users safe during its Worldwide Developers Conference at its Apple Park headquarters, where it showcases the latest iterations of its software.

With its expanded controls, parents will be able to control exactly what apps or content children can see — including approving or blocking websites whenever their child attempts to visit a new domain.

Likewise, the next major updates to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS will let parents approve individual contacts for children to message and call.

Apple will also implement automatic filters to block out violence and gore on devices used by younger users, building on the automatic blocks for nudity that are already available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

The announcement of these features arrived hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a warning to Apple and Google with a three-month deadline to make it impossible for children to take, share, or view nude images on smartphones and tablets.

If WhatsApp were to be added to the ban list down the line, experts say that regulators could also jump through various hoops to enforce it.

Benson Varghese, a lawyer and defense attorney, told GB News: "Enforcement will become one of the primary problems to solve. Being used mainly for private chats that are secure due to encryption, this social medium is much harder to control than other social networks. Age verification is still an issue online, and restrictions may be easily bypassed by using the wrong information, sharing computers and accounts, or choosing other platforms altogether."

The UK Government rolled out the Online Safety Act last summer — adding strict age verification barriers to thousands of popular websites, forums, and social media services. Britons must verify their age by providing a passport scan, a facial scan, or entering credit card details.

Several major companies have set up new requirements to comply with the enforcement. For example, Sony began issuing notifications to UK players, letting them know that age verification will become mandatory for communication features on PS4 and PS5 consoles.

Xbox players have found themselves in the same boat. Microsoft had the jump on Sony with this one, announcing its own age verification requirements last summer.