Social media content is available to everyone notwithstanding if you are a kid or not. You consume everything. Concerned about this, Facebook developed Messenger Kids, a parent-controlled messaging app that lets kids text, call, video chat, and use face filters.
According to TechCrunch, the launch follows Messenger Kids’ recent expansion outside the U.S., where in June it first became available to users in Canada and Peru. The app in Mexico works the same as it does elsewhere – parents have to approve all the contacts the child is allowed to talk to – whether that’s family members the child knows, like grandma and grandpa, or the child’s friends.
Facebook has consulted with paid advisor Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and others on the development of Messenger Kids’ features focused on principles of social and emotional learning. For example, it recently introduced a section of guidelines that remind kids to “be kind” and “be respectful” and rolled out “kindness stickers” which are meant to encourage more positive emotions when communicating online.
Messenger Kids has over half a million users across iOS and Android and is continuing to grow with these international expansions.
