Messenger Kids: Facebook launches app for young children
Service allows parents to control who their kids chat with - but what’s behind the move?
Facebook has launched a messaging app for kids, which allows parents to control who their children can communicate with.
The new standalone service, Messenger Kids, is designed for children between the ages of six and 12. Users can text, video chat and send photos to friends and family.
The app gives Facebook a chance to “win brand loyalty from younger children at a time when it faces competition for teenagers from other social media platforms such as Snapchat”, says Reuters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Messenger Kids is currently only available in the US on iOS, but is expected to launch on Amazon and Google app stores in the coming months.
Children under the age of 13 will not be allowed to use the app to create their own account, in accordance with Facebook rules.
Instead, the app effectively serves as an extension of a parent’s account, with adults controlling which friends and family members their child is able to contact.
Facebook says the service offers no adverts or in-app purchases, and children’s information will not be used for advertising purposes.
While on the surface Messenger Kids “seems relatively innocuous” and its developers may have good intentions, “the underlying motive here cannot go unmentioned”, says The Verge.
“Facebook is creating a pipeline for children to become regular users of its products, starting as young as six years old,” the website says.
However, Facebook insists there will be no automatic migration from the Messenger Kids into the main app once users turn 13 and are allowed to create their own account.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How social media is limiting political content
The Explainer Critics say Meta's 'extraordinary move' to have less politics in users' feeds could be 'actively muzzling civic action'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Turns out Facebook isn't as polarizing as previously thought
Talking Point New studies show that, contrary to prior belief, the algorithm has little effect on driving polarization
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk: a tale of the tech tape
Under the Radar The two men challenged each other to a fight after years of sniping
By Justin Klawans Published
-
How greater online regulation is prompting fears of a ‘splinternet’
feature Government pressure worldwide means the internet is not as open as it once was
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Donald Trump, the Pope and the disruptive power of AI images
feature AI-generated deepfakes blur reality and could be used for political disinformation or personal blackmail
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Supreme Court, Section 230 and the future of the internet
feature Lawsuits brought against tech giants could have far-reaching consequences for the internet as we know it
By Richard Windsor Published