Facebook launches "Messenger Kids" for users as young as 6!
With over two-billion users, Facebook is the world's largest social network. Looking ahead to the future, Facebook is now targeting kids. It has rolled out a Messenger app for kids aged 6-12 years on iOS. Under-13s cannot use Facebook, according to federal laws. But this doesn't require them to sign up on Facebook. Parents would instead control kids' activity via their own accounts. Here's how!
No ads, no in-app purchases
Facebook wrote: "There are no ads in Messenger Kids and your child's information isn't used for ads. It is free to download, and there are no in-app purchases." It claims it has "gone to great lengths" to ensure "Messenger Kids" doesn't have an "exploitative" effect.
Messenger Kids designed to comply with COPPA
Facebook said Messenger Kids, which is available only on iOS (first in the US), would be soon available for Android and Kindle devices. The company said that its app is compliant with the US federal law, Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA). Under COPPA, only those above the age of 13 can sign up for many online services, including Facebook.
How does the kids' app work?
Children can use the app only after parents download it from App Store and use their Facebook account to authenticate it. Kids can then create their account that requires only a name for setting up the profile. Contacts would be added by parents who can search and add them. They can manage children's app from their Facebook account and also control who contacts them.
Fun Snapchat-like filters and masks
The Messenger app for kids is specially designed to offer text and video chat as well as fun and playful Snapchat style masks and filters that are now being used across many Facebook messaging platforms. Facebook said that a "library of kid-appropriate and specially chosen GIFs, frames, stickers, masks, and drawing tools lets them decorate content and express their personalities."
Are there any risks?
While some have welcomed Facebook's app for kids, many are expecting risks despite Facebook's claims that it has taken care to prevent abuse. They say there would be hidden risks with children as young as 6 years plugging into the internet through the social app.
Facebook answers "Hard Questions" in a blog post
In a blog post, Facebook's Public Policy Director Antigone Davis, wrote: "Children today are online earlier and earlier." Deflecting criticism and suggesting Facebook did nothing wrong by launching the app, she pointed out: "They (kids) use family-shared devices...and many, as young as six or seven years old, even have their own." She added, "Research shows that kids are using apps...intended for teens and adults."
Is Messenger Kids another strategy to gain users?
While Facebook claims it created Messenger Kids with good intentions, many are criticizing that Facebook is targeting kids for its next-generation users. The company has been using various strategies to attract new users and retain its user-base, especially youngsters, from leaving Facebook for competitors. Some of the moves include acquiring WhatsApp and Instagram to kill Snapchat and also introducing Snapchat-like features on its platforms.
