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A Conflicted Parent's Running Thoughts About Facebook's 'Messenger Kids'   


On Monday, Facebook launched Messenger Kids, a version of Messenger for young children. Here are my running thoughts:

  • Facebook for kids? God, NO!

  • Okay, well, it’s not really Facebook for kids. It’s just a messaging app. There are no profiles or anything. No searchable database of Messenger Kids users. No advertisements or in-app purchases. Parents have control over their kids’ contact list. It actually looks pretty bare bones, which is promising.

  • It’s also designed to be compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, or COPPA. So there’s that checkmark.

  • Still, it’s run by Facebook, the company that knows a disturbing number of details about us and strives to keep users addicted. Handing our kids over to the Zuck-machine feels, at the very least, unsettling.

  • Also, it’s designed for kids ages six to 12. SIX! That’s way too young for a messaging app ... right? What would the kids even chat about? How they’re so annoyed that their mom made them eat their broccoli and green beans tonight?

  • But I suppose for older kids—say, ages 9 to 12—it would be really nice to have a messaging app that’s safe, as popular apps like Snapchat and Kik Messenger are not at all appropriate for children. These kids without smartphones or landlines often need a way to chat with their friends when they can’t meet up face to face (without hogging our phones).

  • Wait, but in order for kids to chat with their friends on Messenger Kids, parents need to add each other on Facebook. So I would need to be Facebook friends with the parents of all of my kid’s friends?! Eh, I’m okay with that.

  • I do love the fact that kids can chat with Grandma and Grandpa, who are probably always on Facebook.

  • Kids are really gonna dig the kitty cat masks and stickers.

  • Is Messenger Kids really that scary? People are treating it like the disturbing mess that is YouTube’s kids’ content. Yet this product feels well-researched (Facebook has been doing parent focus-groups for the past 18 months, and has consulted with top experts in child development). I think parents are more afraid of its potential than what it currently is, which I can understand.

  • I mean, there are potential dangers. Kids can, in theory, make a fake Facebook account and add contacts unauthorized by their parents.

  • And what else don’t we know about the app? What kind of analytics will be tracked? Where will all this data go? How exactly will it be used? Reading the Messenger Kids Privacy Policy doesn’t offer much comfort. Can parents even access their kids’ conversations if they suspect something weird? How is Facebook monetizing this whole thing? Is this simply the bait to get kids hooked?

  • Recode reports that Facebook has a team of about 100 employees working on building products for kids and teens. This Messenger Kids thing feels like just the beginning—the company’s bold first stake in the new social media experience for children. What will be next?

  • I feel conflicted.

  • And a little dizzy.

  • How does one become Amish?

  • I don’t doubt that this service will be fun for kids. It’s chatting with friends—with stickers! I think I’m worried that it will be too fun, too early. And there may be no turning back.