Facebook has launched a new set of parental controls for Messenger Kids. These new tools are designed to help parents “manage their child’s experience in Messenger Kids”. Which should help keep your child safe and you assured of their safety.
A Brief History of Messenger Kids
In December 2017, Facebook launched Messenger Kids. This is a standalone version of Messenger designed for children aged between six and 12. The idea being to give children access to Facebook before they reach 13 and can sign up for Facebook proper.
Despite the fact that parents are in charge of setting up their children’s Messenger Kids accounts, experts begged Facebook to dump Messenger Kids. This was due to their belief that technology and social media can be harmful to children and teenagers.
Messenger Kids has persisted, and Facebook is now improving its parental controls.
New Messenger Kids Parental Controls
Facebook announced the new Messenger Kids parental controls in a post on About Facebook. You can now see who your child is chatting with, what photos they have sent, who they have reported and blocked, and on which devices they’re using Messenger Kids.
Giving Parents Even More Control in Messenger Kids https://t.co/Baf8td8IU9 pic.twitter.com/oC0fcDFJUR
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) February 4, 2020
You can also download your child’s information, in the same way you can download your own information from Facebook. This includes “a list of your child’s contacts as well as the messages, images and videos they have sent and received.”
Parents can access these new parental controls in the Messenger Kids Parent Dashboard in the Facebook app for Android and iOS. Just tap the shortcut menu in the Facebook app and scroll to the Messenger Kids icon. Then, select the name of your child.
Download: Messenger Kids on Android | iOS
The Pros and Cons of Social Media
Facebook has also updated the Messenger Kids privacy policy to “include additional information about our data collection, use, sharing, retention and deletion practices.” This also describes features Facebook is planning to roll out to Messenger Kids in the future.
Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no doubt that social media is affecting us all in some way. And as with almost everything, there are positives and negatives involved, as we have outlined in our article looking at the pros and cons of social media.
Read the full article: Facebook Adds New Messenger Kids Parental Controls
