Facebook’s Introduces Messenger Kids, a Chat App for Kids Under Age 13
The social media giant launched a free video chat and messaging app for kids to chat with their parents and with parent-approved friends. The Facebook messaging app for kids is free and aimed at children ages 6-12, who can’t yet have their own accounts under Facebook’s rules (must be 13 to sign up). Messenger Kids allows young users to chat with their friends, make video calls with kid-friendly filters and send age-appropriate GIFs.
Parents use their own accounts to create Messenger profiles for their kids. They can add friends and family with whom they are connected to on Facebook to their child’s account. Kids’ friends can only be added if the friend is also using the messaging app and both parents are friends on Facebook. Kids will not be publicly searchable within the messaging app for privacy reasons. Further, children will not be able to access their parent’s Facebook account. The home screen shows a list of who they can talk to and which of their friends are online to chat.
Facebook has said it will collect “little data” about its young users and will not feature ads or in-app purchases. The app has a report and block features the child can use and parents get a notification if either is done. Facebook’s messaging app for kids is also compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).
Check out the video demo of the app below. Messenger Kids is available in the App Store for iOS devices starting today. The company plans to offer versions for Android and Kindle in the coming months.
