Facebook launches Messenger app for kids

Facebook recently released  a preview of Messenger Kids' in the U.S for iOS platform. Messenger Kids is simply just like Messenger, but is designed for kids, and this time the parents will control the kids account.

For the Messenger Kids to work, parents must set up an account for their kids, and authenticate the account using their (parents) own Facebook usersname and password. This will not create a separate Facebook account for your kid or give them access to your Facebook account, instead it will open a Kids' Messenger account. And once done, kids can start video calls with contacts approved by parents. 

Yes, parents are the one in control of the kids contact, so kids can't connect to people that their parent does not approve. Parents can control the kids account by using the Messenger Kids Controls panel in their main Facebook app.

The Messenger Kids' home screen shows them at a glance who they are approved to talk to, and when those contacts are online. In addition to video chat, kids can send photos, videos or text messages to their parent-approved friends and adult relatives, who will receive the messages via their regular Messenger app.

To make the app more engaging for the kids, Messenger Kids include playful masks, emojis and sound effects, as well as a library of kid-appropriate GIFs, frames, stickers, masks and drawing tools.

The Messenger Kids is also ad-free. It is free to download and there are no in-app purchases. Messenger Kids is also designed to be compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).

This preview of Messenger Kids is only available in the US at this time on the Apple App Store, and will be coming to Amazon App Store and Google Play Store in the coming months.

Kaiser Bey

Kaiser is a tech enthusiast who likes to write, read and talk about tech. He dreams of going to Mars and never come back. We hope that you find his posts on AndroGuider helpful and informative