During the tightening of the privacy rules, the minimum age of WhatsApp has also increased. From now on you must be at least 16 years old to use the service.
WhatsApp minimum age increased to 16 years old
Chances are, almost everyone you know has a WhatsApp account. From your friends to your parents and your grandmother to your little nieces and nephews. The latter should no longer be allowed to use the messaging service from now on if they are younger than 16 years old.
To comply with the European privacy rules that take effect next month, WhatsApp has adjusted the user conditions. This includes the new age, which you must confirm when you open or install WhatsApp for the first time.
In the Netherlands, it has been mandatory for children to ask their parents for permission to use WhatsApp, but the app itself has never introduced such a harsh measure. The big question now is whether WhatsApp will actually check whether its users are all older than 16 years old.
Facebook will remain 13 plus
WhatsApp is part of Facebook, but you can still set up a profile there as a child between 13 and 15 years old. Again, however, you must assign a parent who must give you permission. The new European privacy law is causing a lot of changes in the tech world. Many popular apps will have to update and tighten their terms and conditions, which users will have to accept again.
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