Facebook’s Messenger Kids is available today in Canada. Will your kids use it? That’s what many of us are wondering about. With more and more kids having access to apps and different social media accounts, is this the right direction to go in to provide a safe messenger app for kids? I had many questions running through my mind as I learned about Messenger Kids the other day thanks to being invited to a preview event in Vancouver.
Honestly, it surprised me at first to hear that a messenger app was created with ages 6-12 in mind. I wasn’t even a big fan of Facebook Messenger when it was first launched for those with accounts, but it’s grown on me and I can’t imagine not having it. I started to really think about Messenger Kids and it started to make sense to me. This is the age group that lately can be found using devices. This is the age group that is too young to have an account, but often lie about their age and has an account on Facebook or Instagram, even with their parents knowing too! So, why wouldn’t a company like Facebook listen to families, adults, and kids, and take what they have to say to create something specifically for that age group?
WHAT IS FACEBOOK MESSENGER KIDS + HOW DOES IT WORK?
Simply put, it is a children’s messaging app with parental controls. Instead of creating underage, false Facebook accounts, children can have access to Messenger Kids once the app is downloaded onto a device by an adult. In order to have this app, a parent must have Facebook. This is because the app is downloaded and controlled through a parent’s Facebook account. This creates a Messenger Kids account, it DOES NOT create a Facebook account for the child.
Within Messenger Kids, children can video chat (1:1 or in a group), send messages, a fun-filled camera, kids can create with child-appropriate GIFs, stickers, and overlays to bring conversations to life, and also play games with contacts who have been parent-approved. All of the child’s Messenger Kids contacts must be approved by their parent before they can contact each other. Kids cannot talk to anyone that their parent has not approved. There is also a “double handshake” feature where in order for your child to communicate with one of their friends on Messenger Kids, that friend’s parent needs to also approve them as a contact.
PARENTAL CONTROLS AND MORE
It does look like Facebook has worked very hard to make Messenger Kids age appropriate with parental controls. All of the parental controls are accessible from the main Facebook App. By going into the app you can find “Messenger Kids” under the Explorer Feed. From there you can approve requests to be added to your child’s parent-approved contact list. You can also block a contact if needed, or even delete the account entirely. Your child can only use Messenger Kids if they are connected to it through a parent’s Facebook account. If you delete your own Facebook account, no more Messenger Kids for them.
Screen time is a big concern for parents. In Messenger Kids, you can use Sleep Mode. Set a predetermined “off time” for the app to go to sleep on your child’s device. The child will no longer be able to communicate using the app during Sleep Mode. You can set this time frame through the Parental Control portion of your Facebook. I would love to see this feature be available from my phone and the Facebook App so that I can quickly and easily set the phone to Sleep Mode for a certain timeframe if my kid has earned from screen time or to limit conversation time on Messenger kids. Maybe this will be something to come in the future. For now, you’d have to go onto Facebook and change this yourself each time your child uses the app on a device.
You’ll be happy to know that it is an advertisement free app, there are no in-app purchases, and that Messenger Kids is free. No more fear of your child clicking on something and suddenly charging up your credit card with purchases. Thank you, Facebook! It also means if your child is talking about something like the latest movie they saw, you won’t get advertisements on your Facebook for it.
SAFETY + BEING A DIGITAL CITIZEN
The world of devices has expanded to those at a young age. Facebook saw that a safe place was needed and that’s part of why they created Messenger Kids. With this, your child’s information won’t be used to create adverts. It’s a different structure to Messenger Kids than in Facebook. Everything within it is considered to be sacrosanct.
Say something shared within a conversation is inappropriate when you are reviewing your child’s conversations that or going on, or your child feels something said was inappropriate there is a report feature. If they report a picture they are given prompts for why they want to report it in dialogue that is child-friendly, for example, “someone was mean” or “this is inappropriate”. As the parent connected to the account you are notified. You can then go back and review what occurred, plus open a dialogue to speak with your child further about what happened. Children are not able to delete any typed conversations or pictures!
WILL YOU BE LETTING YOUR KIDS USE MESSENGER KIDS?
If you are going to use Messenger Kids with your children it does provide an opportunity to discuss being a good digital citizen with them and what is appropriate and not appropriate. I can see how this app would be beneficial if you are traveling away from your children. There are fun, engaging features within the app that can act as prompts while talking. We all know kids often have 10-second conversations when on the phone, using Messenger Kids you can play a game together or use the different overlays to have some fun while chatting.
As with any technology and devices, parents need to be the frontline of defense and the best filter of what takes part in an app like this. Keep an eye on your kids and make sure they know your clear expectations. Will we be letting our kids use Messenger Kids? Not yet. I feel that my girls are too young for them to be using it independently on their own. Do I think it creates a fun communication opportunity for when traveling? Definitely, and we probably will use it if we go away somewhere and they want to talk to their Grandparents or other relatives. For now, if they want to talk to their friends it’s going to be the same I did as a kid… by picking up a phone and calling. When they are a bit older, we will re-evaluate then. I do want my kids to grow up with knowledge about technology, but right now, I want them to be kids.
this is the first I’m hearing about messenger kids. idk if I would let my kids use it or not, my daughter thinks facebook is for old people lol
My kids can’t totally read yet so they don’t use this but I probably would let them in the future. We have a lot of family far away and it’s a great way for them to keep in touch. I think it’s nice that Facebook is putting technologies into place to keep children safer on their platform.