Facebook Continues To Push Messenger Kids, Releasing App In Canada And Peru
Back in December, Facebook released a new kids-focused chat app, prompting widespread criticism from child health advocates, including calls to pull the service altogether. Despite this controversy, Facebook has continued to make Messenger Kids available on iOS and Android, and has now announced the app's rollout to Canada and Peru.
Aimed at kids 13 and under, Messenger Kids allows the same kind of text and video chat as the regular version, but includes a number of parental control features designed to make the app safe. For starters, kids aren't required to use their real name, and their profiles are controlled through a parent's Facebook account, along with who they have permission to communicate with. There are no ads or in-app purchases, and it focuses on kid-friendly stickers and photo filters.
The app's release in Canada and Peru marks some of the first international expansion for the service. Along with making it available in French and Spanish languages for the first time, Facebook says there are several new improvements, including the ability for two parents to manage a child's account, rather than just one.
When setting up an account, families will now be presented with the "Messenger Kids Pledge," which features "guiding principles between parents and kids that encourage the responsible use of Messenger Kids: Be Kind, Be Respectful, Be Safe, and Have Fun."
In the weeks following Messenger Kids' release, experts from child health and development groups, as well as parents, called for Facebook to remove the app. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood even sent an open letter to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, warning that social media accounts are inappropriate for young children, as they're "not old enough to navigate the complexities of online relationships." While Facebook claims the app abides by the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA), it seems designed more to draw in new Facebook users while they're still young.
SOURCE Facebook