Facebook has a new Messenger app specifically designed for kids, allowing those under 13 to chat with people whom their parents approve.
The internet is riddled with threats, scams, child predators, and inappropriate content, which is why Facebook doesn't allow kids to sign up and use its platform. Rival platforms targeting youngsters, such as Snapchat, are also struggling to counter such threats, but typically, the golden rule for most parents is to keep their kids off social media apps and monitor their internet access.
What Is Facebook Messenger Kids?
For the first time, Facebook is now offering a solution for kids to use its messaging platform, introducing Messenger Kids. This version is specifically designed for under 13s, and it's now available in the United States, but only for iOS for now.
With Facebook Messenger Kids, parents have to download the app on their kids' mobile device, create the kid's profile, and set approved people with whom the kids can chat from the main Messenger app.
The kids themselves don't need a phone number and their own Facebook account. With their parents' permission, however, they can chat with approved Messenger and Messenger Kids users from a parent's account. Simply put, Messenger Kids is a child-friendly, standalone Messenger app with strict parental controls, allowing kids to piggyback on their parent's account but without all the adult's privileges.
