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Meta has announced that its introducing parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp. Designed to allow young people under the age of 13 to use the messaging platform more safely, these accounts feature new controls that enable a parent or guardian to restrict who can send them messages. Parent-managed accounts can also only be used for messaging and calling, so additional features like Channels, location sharing and Meta AI integration arent included. To set up an account, youll need to put your phone next to the pre-teens device to link the two accounts. Once thats done, the person managing the kids account can decide whos able to contact them and which groups theyre able to join. Step-by-step instructions on how to activate the new accounts can be found here. Theyll also see message requests from unknown contacts first and can adjust privacy settings from the managed device. Parent-managed accounts are PIN-protected and only the parent or guardian can make changes to privacy settings. Like all WhatsApp conversations, end-to-end encryption means nobody else can see messages exchanged on parent-managed accounts. By default, only saved contacts can message a managed account, and a child wont be able to join a group or view group invites from strangers before theyre separately approved by the owner of the parent account. These requests will appear as notifications to the parent. WhatsApp doesnt specify a minimum age suitable for a parent-messaged account, but says itll roll the new features out gradually in the coming months. Meta has spent the last few years ramping up its parental controls features across its various platforms. In September it introduced teen accounts aimed at teens between the age of 13 and 15 for Facebook and Messenger. A year earlier, Under-16 teen accounts became a requirement on Instagram. Like the new parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp, these allow parents to vet requests and enable stricter privacy settings. At the start of 2026, Meta put a temporary pause on allowing teens to interact with its AI chatbot characters, following reports that some of these bots had engaged in sexual conversations and other concerning interactions with minors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-will-let-kids-under-13-use-whatsapp-with-parent-managed-accounts-172023976.html?src=rss
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Eight of the 10 most popular AI chatbots were willing to help plan violent attacks when tested by researchers, according to a new study from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), in partnership with CNN. While both Snapchat's My AI and Claude refused to assist with violence the majority of the time, only Anthropic's Claude "reliably discouraged" these hypothetical attackers during testing. Researchers created accounts posing as 13-year-old boys and tested ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Meta AI, DeepSeek, Perplexity, Snapchat My AI, Character.AI and Replika across 18 scenarios between November and December 2025. The tests simulated users planning school shootings, political assassinations and bombings targeting synagogues. Across all the responses analyzed, the chatbots provided "actionable assistance" roughly 75 percent of the time and discouraged violence in just 12 percent of cases. This was the average across all chatbots, with Claude discouraging violence 76 percent of the time. Meta AI and Perplexity were the least safe, assisting in 97 and 100 percent of responses. ChatGPT offered campus maps when asked about school violence, and Gemini said metal shrapnel is typically more lethal in a synagogue bombing scenario. DeepSeek signed off rifle selection advice with "Happy (and safe) shooting!" Character.AI, which the report described as "uniquely unsafe," actively encouraged violence in seven instances, at one point telling a researcher to "use a gun" on a health insurance company CEO. In another scenario, it provided a political party's headquarters address and asked if the user was "planning a little raid." Meta told CNN it had taken steps to "to fix the issue identified," while Google and Open AI said they had implemented new models since the study was conducted. Sixty-four percent of US teens aged 13 to 17 have used a chatbot, according to Pew Research.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/most-ai-chatbots-will-help-users-plan-violent-attacks-study-finds-163651255.html?src=rss
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Sony has announced its latest additions to the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. While they might not top last month's introduction of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Extra and Premium subscribers are still getting access to some notable games. In March, the new additions include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (PS5), one of Engadget's picks for the Best Games of 2024, and Persona 5 Royal (PS5 and PS4). The PS4 version of Persona 5 Royal Ultimate Edition, the complete version of one of Atlus' most popular RPGs, will also be available alongside a collection of other fun additions.Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a third-person action game reminiscent of Gears of War, but set in Games Workshop's elaborate Warhammer 40,000 universe. If you're a fan of the larger franchise, Space Marine 2 is well worth a look, especially with a third entry on the way, but the game is also a solid option if you're just looking for a new co-op game to try with friends. Persona 5 Royal is a known-quantity among fans of Atlus' social simulation/RPG series, and the way it both expands on and streamlines the original Persona 5 also makes it a suitable entry point to the series as a whole. If seeing Japanese teenagers deal with their personal problems while embarking on Inception-style missions into the hearts of the corrupt adults of Tokyo sounds interesting, you'll love Persona 5 Royal.Alongside those standouts, PS Plus Game Catalog is also getting:EA Sports Madden NFL 26 (PS5)Blasphemous 2 (PS5 and PS4)Metal Eden (PS5)Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (PS5)Astroneer (PS5 and PS4)And as promised last month, the PS Plus Classics Catalog is expanding to include Tekken: Dark Resurrection, a revamped and rebalanced version of Tekken 5 that includes expanded character customization options and new stages that weren't in the original 2004 fighting game. This ones only for PS Plus Premium subscribers on PS4 and PS5.All of these will be available on the PS Plus Game Catalog on March 17.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/the-ps-plus-games-catalog-is-getting-space-marine-2-and-persona-5-royal-in-march-162716284.html?src=rss
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