

Messenger Kids is interoperable with the main Messenger app, so adults don’t actually have to download the Kids app. Then, using the Messenger Kids bookmark in the main Facebook app, parents can approve anyone who is friends with them as a contact for their kid, like aunts and uncles or godparents. Once the parent has authenticated it with their own account, they set up a mini-profile with their kid’s name and photo. Instead, parents download the Messenger Kids app to a child’s iPhone or iPad (Android coming soon). It’s important to understand that kids under 13 still can’t sign up for a Facebook account. “But the side effect will be that they use Messenger more and create family groups.” Marcus tells me he’s excited about getting his 8-year-old into the family chat alongside his 14- and 17-year-old children. “When you think about things at scale that we do to get people to care more about Messenger, this is one that addresses a real need for parents,” say Facebook’s head of Messenger David Marcus. But the app could prime kids to become lifelong Facebook users, and lock their families deeply into the platform where they’ll see ads. And with childish augmented reality masks and stickers, video calls with grandma could be a lot more fun and a lot less silent or awkward.įacebook won’t be directly monetizing Messenger Kids, automatically migrating kids to real accounts when they turn 13 or collecting data so that it complies with Children’s Online Privacy Protections Act (COPPA) law. Facebook even manually sifted Giphy to build a kid-friendly version of the GIF-sharing engine.

Special proactive detection safety filters prevent children from sharing nudity, sexual content or violence, while a dedicated support team will respond quickly to reported or flagged content. “In other apps, they can contact anyone they want or be contacted by anyone,” Facebook’s head of Messenger David Marcus notes. ‘This works’, they said,” Facebook product management director Loren Cheng tells me. “We’ve been working closely with the FTC so we’re lockstep with them. Tweens don’t sign up for a Facebook account and don’t need a phone number, but can communicate with other Messenger and Messenger Kids users parents sign-off on, so younger siblings don’t get left out of the family group chat. Rolling out today on iOS in the U.S., “Messenger Kids” lets parents download the app on their child’s phone or tablet, create a profile for them and approve friends and family with whom they can text and video chat from the main Messenger app. And it's easy to set up.For the first time, Facebook is opening up to children under age 13 with a privacy-focused app designed to neutralize child predator threats that plague youth-focused competitors like Snapchat. However you decide to approach the kids messaging service, with proper management, Facebook Messenger Kids can actually be a useful tool.
#Kids messenger app wont let me video chat full
You can even download full conversation reports if you have legitimate concerns. Should you sign your child up for Facebook Messenger Kids?įor those who haven't yet jumped on the bandwagon, it's important to note that you can set up a lot of parental controls and monitor what your child is doing and with whom they are connected. Select Create File and wait for it to be created and sent. You can also download a summary of information from the child's account with all the correspondence from a specific date range or just certain things, like what photos or videos were shared.You can also select Controls to manage settings, including setting a time when the app goes into Sleep Mode, whether you want to give the child the ability to add friends on their own, and if they can send/receive links.From there, you can choose Contacts to add/remove contacts from your child's friend list.Source: Christine Persaud / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Christine Persaud / Android Central)
