Expert warns 13-year-old shares private information with thousands on WhatsApp

A 13-year-old from Zurich shares her life on a public WhatsApp channel with 20,000 followers. An expert warns of risks, but her parents and Meta don't see a problem.

Almost all young people in Switzerland use WhatsApp - but not all of them just for chatting. Some operate public channels with thousands of followers, sharing private pictures, thoughts and everyday scenes.

The channel function introduced in 2023 makes it possible to send messages to a large number of followers. The function is often used by companies and organizations.

However, a German YouTuber recently pointed out that children in German-speaking countries also operate WhatsApp channels - some aged between 11 and 14, with tens of thousands of followers.

blue News became aware of a 13-year-old from the Zurich region who runs such a channel. She posts vacation photos, selfies and short updates from her everyday life there - for almost 20,000 followers.

Name, school and place of residence are easy to find out

Anyone can create a WhatsApp channel. There is no age control for creating a channel - there is only a minimum age of 13 to use the app.

In principle, the personal data of WhatsApp channel operators is protected - followers do not see their phone number or real name. Nevertheless, the 13-year-old reveals a lot of personal information through her posts.

Her birthday appears in the channel description. Her name, place of residence, school and parents' jobs could also be found out from her posts alone.

She also posts what she is doing and where she is in almost real time. You can find out when she goes to and comes back from school, when she is at the swimming pool, meeting friends or going on vacation.

Once, the 13-year-old gave away her phone number to random followers. "Because so many people wanted my number," she writes.

This can also be dangerous, says Lulzana Musliu, media spokesperson for Pro Juventute. "As soon as something is shared publicly, you lose control over what happens to it." There is a risk of people endangering children in real life or misusing their content for cyberbullying. Or children experience cybergrooming. The latter refers to sexually motivated assaults on children in the digital space.

Although followers in WhatsApp channels cannot send messages, they can respond to posts with emojis. In the case of the 13-year-old, the eggplant emoji was used repeatedly - a common symbol for the male genitalia and clearly a sexualized innuendo.

Lulzana Musliu is not surprised: "If it's a public channel, this unfortunately happens very often with young girls." According to a ZHAW study from 2024, almost one in two girls aged 12 to 19 (45%) have been contacted online by a stranger with unwanted sexual intentions. However, the responsibility clearly lies with the person who behaves in an abusive manner, not with the child who posts content, says Musliu.

How can children be protected from these risks? "Children need guidance on social media," she says. Protecting their data and privacy is particularly important. You have to talk to children about this. "Parents should ask themselves what the underlying need is to share content." Children, in turn, need to understand what they are disclosing - and what can happen to it in the worst case scenario.

Show interest and talk about dangers

The parents of the 13-year-old, who runs a public WhatsApp channel herself, show what this can look like in practice. blue News spoke to her mother. In the interview, she explains that she follows her daughter's activities - they also follow the channel regularly. "We see everything she posts," she says.

They talk to her daughter about the risks and work with her to find a healthy approach. We don't want her to grow up in fear, but we still want to show her that we should have respect and that there could be hate messages, for example. Sexualized reactions, such as the eggplant emoji, are also acknowledged, but her daughter can handle them well.

The daughter has now also set certain boundaries herself: she doesn't film her room - that's too private for her. She rarely publishes photos that show her face. And since the channel has gained more followers, she also refrains from giving away her phone number.

The fact that private information about the family can be found online didn't particularly surprise her, says the mother. "It can't be completely avoided these days anyway - if you're in a club, for example, or have an employer who puts it on the internet."

"We have the feeling that she is already very sensible about it. It's part of her experience," says the mother. She also advises other parents to accompany their child, show interest and talk about the dangers - instead of banning everything straight away. The request from blue News was a welcome impetus to revisit the topic.

Lulzana Musliu from Pro Juventute also considers a general ban to be difficult: "What is forbidden can be all the more irritating."

Meta refers to guidelines

The way the parents of the 13-year-olds interact shows that many parents make an effort to keep up with their children's digital world - they read along, they talk, they trust. And yet they are often alone. The responsibility for protecting children from the risks of social media has so far mainly rested with families. The example of WhatsApp makes this particularly clear.

Lulzana Musliu explains: "In many families, the use of social media such as Instagram or TikTok is being viewed more and more critically. However, because WhatsApp is considered a messenger by many, it is usually allowed for socializing and chatting." Children and young people would then use the platform and its functions without necessarily being aware that their content is publicly visible and accessible to strangers.

She therefore also believes WhatsApp has a responsibility. "The platforms must protect children and young people and politicians must put pressure on them to do so. Cybergrooming should be banned and the Federal Council must present a platform regulation that protects children and young people and strengthens their media skills," says Musliu.

When asked by blue News, Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, stated that the operator of the aforementioned channel meets the minimum age requirement of 13. If a channel is operated by a person under the age of 13, the account will be deactivated.

Meta does not go into specific protective measures against risks such as cybergrooming. Instead, the company refers to the general guidelines for WhatsApp channels, which prohibit illegal content such as violence or pornography.

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