Why is WhatsApp's new 'tone deaf' change proving so controversial?

Technology conglomerate Meta has come under fire after lowering the minimum age to use WhatsApp.

On Thursday, the age limit for using the messaging app was lowered from 16 to 13 in the UK and EU.

The move by Meta was called "tone deaf" by the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood.

Co-founder Daisy Greenwell told The Times: “WhatsApp is putting shareholder profits first and children’s safety second.

“Reducing their age of use from 16 to 13 years old is completely tone deaf and ignores the increasingly loud alarm bells being rung by scientists, doctors, teachers, child safety experts, parents and mental health experts alike.”

Greenwell disagreed with sentiment that WhatsApp is "the safest social media app". She called the messaging app a "gateway drug" for other social media apps. Meta also owns Facebook and Instagram.

“WhatsApp is far from risk-free. It’s often the first platform where children are exposed to extreme content, bullying is rife and it’s the messaging app of choice for sexual predators due to its end-to-end encryption.”

Member of the education select committee and Conservative MP, Vicky Ford, called the move from Meta "highly irresponsible".

WhatsApp said the age limit change was made to keep it in line with the majority of countries, and state protections were in place.

This week, Meta unveiled new safety features designed to protect users, especially young people.

The company confirmed it would be testing a direct messaging filter on Instagram called Nudity Protection. The filter will be on by default for users under 18 and will automatically blur images sent to users which are detected as containing nudity.

When receiving nude images, users will also see a message telling not to respond if they feel pressured, as well as the option to block the sender and report the chat.

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