The child’s profile also can’t be discovered through Facebook search. The Messenger Kids app successfully blocks game and send money requests dispatched from Messenger accounts. When we tried to send a GIF from the Messenger app to a kid profile, we received the following error message: “GIFs can't be sent to Messenger Kids accounts.” GIFs weren’t available while we tested the Messenger Kids app, so we’re not sure how safe this feature is. Granted, this isn’t a major dealbreaker for diligent parents, but we have to acknowledge that “catfishing” is a thing and it only takes one bogus friend request to slip through to compromise a child’s safety. However, we’re worried about unsavory characters posing as children. This is something that’d be difficult to regulate since households vary in size. There was no foreseeable limit to how many profiles we could create. We were able to create numerous fake profiles under one Facebook account. The Messenger Kids app is not password-enabled, which is great for parents that want to monitor their children, but becomes a privacy issue if a child loses their mobile device.Īnother concern is that Facebook’s Messenger Kids app is extremely easy to manipulate since there’s no way to verify a child’s age or identity. When we tested Messenger Kids, we spotted some red flags. Messenger Kids won’t boot children off once they hit 13, but this could possibly change with an update.įor more information, parents can take a look at Facebook’s Messenger Kids Privacy Policy and dedicated Common Questions. Ultimately, parents get to decide whether their children get to transition over to Facebook Messenger when they become of age. Messenger Kids complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protections Act law set by the Federal Trade Commission, so Facebook won’t migrate children’s accounts when they turn 13 or collect data for advertising purposes. However, you’re allowed to delete your child’s profile at will or remove a contact you no longer approve of. Messaging is an increasingly important area for tech companies as well, as they realize that users may spend more time messaging than they do in any other social platforms.Īll of this is to say: I am very excited to exchange Moana GIFs with my 6-to-12-year-old friends, as long as their parents approve.You won’t be able to see what your kid is saying or what they’re seeing from the management panel, which could be a deal breaker for parents of kids at the lower end of Messenger Kids’ age range. With Messenger Kids, Facebook is getting a head start on hooking the teens of tomorrow.Īnd it’s not just about the age of the audience. For Facebook, the stakes may be partially existential: Though Snapchat has stumbled since going public earlier this year, it still represents a significant competitor with Facebook for the attention of teens and young adults. But the difficulty of regulating content for children has also been in the news, with YouTube’s service for kids under a spotlight for the disturbing videos that thrive there. The New York Times recently created a regular Sunday kids’ section, and Slate’s sister company Panoply houses Pinna, a podcast subscription service for kids. Messenger Kids arrives at a time when more and more companies are experimenting with outlets for kids. Training wheels for digital literacy, sure, not to mention a lifetime of social media addiction! It’s also training wheels for social media and messaging,” said Larry Magid, CEO and co-founder of. One of the quotes Facebook included in its press packet about the product gets at this tension: “Messenger Kids is more than just a fun way for kids to communicate with parentally approved friends and family. While the attempt to provide a nonexploitative space for kids is commendable, it won’t be lost on, well, anyone that this move will also groom a new generation of kids into being future Facebook users. In announcing the app, Facebook cited figures from market researcher Dubit that claim that 93 percent of 6- to 12-year-olds have access to tablets or smartphones, and 66 percent of them have smartphones or tablets of their own. In contrast to Amazon’s pointless recent effort to capture a teen audience, Facebook’s new app seems to recognize that, despite the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, many children are likely already on services like Facebook.
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