Facebook now allows parents to manage their kids’ activities better in Messenger Kids. The feature will start with Facebook’s U.S., Canada, and Latin America market.
Facebook has been a hot topic for privacy issues and breaches for the past several years. Many of its users have complained about their data being leaked online or used for illicit purposes.
The main group affected by these breaches have been the vulnerable youth groups. This time of the pandemic is especially important for kids. Social media is where their social connections are made as a replacement for physical interactions.
Facebook announced via their website that parents may now supervise their children better through the Facebook Messenger Kids platform.
More control for parents, but also more autonomy for kids
Facebook worked closely with Facebook’s Youth Advisors and several stakeholders that are involved in the app. According to the statement, Facebook was able to curate a special experience for parents and kids alike.
In the new update, kids are given the autonomy to choose and interact with different people within the platform. Parents are subsequently given notifications for every activity that their kids take. Parents may override any activity made by the kids should they find them to be inappropriate.
Facebook finds this method of interaction as a way for parents to teach kids the importance of choosing the proper connections. Moreover, the parents may do this with a considerable room for their kids to have room to learn.
Supervised ‘friending’
Parents controlled the friend adding and rejecting before the new update. Now, parents may choose to let their kids accept, ignore, or reject any friend request to them. The parents may reverse any friend adding activity that they see unfit for their kids.
Facebook took measures to ensure that the kids understand this feature well. They consulted with several doctors as to how to properly word the new features in the app’s interface.
Group learning and connections through Messenger Kids
Facebook will also allow parents to control the online groups where their kids are members of. Other similar adults may only interact with the kids if the parents grant authority to these adults.
The adults mentioned here can be school coaches, teachers, or other adults crucial for the kids’ development.
Additionally, Facebook has made finding friends on the platform easier for kids. Now, the kids’ profile picture and name will appear in the following people’s pages,
- Friends of their kid’s contacts and their parents
- Kids of the parent’s Facebook friends
- Kids of people parents invite to download the Messenger Kids app
Majority of these new features will be available in limited markets, but will be rolled out in 70 more markets around the world throughout the year.
Image courtesy of Facebook and Diego Passadori/ Unsplash