Today Facebook unveiled Messenger Kids, a new kids-only version of Messenger for children under 13 who aren’t old enough to have a Facebook account of their own but still want to chat with friends and family on the social network.
The parent-controlled app allows Mom and Dad to decide who their child can have on their contact list. Once a contact like a child’s best friend or an aunt or cousin is added, they can chat freely with that person using the service. There are even kid-friendly GIFs, masks, and stickers they can use. It’s just like regular Messenger, but an age-appropriate version. And approved adults can chat with the child using regular Messenger.
Conversations are constantly monitored via artificial intelligence to ensure that inappropriate content or language doesn’t get through, and if either party gets upset about the conversation everyone’s parents are notified when someone in the convo gets blocked or reported by the other.
But kids can’t sign up on their own. While the app operates as its own version of Messenger, kid’s accounts are actually nested under their parent’s accounts. So, little Andy’s parents have to download the app onto his iPad and then sign into it with their account in order to create one for him.
Here’s a step-by-step from Facebook on how to make that happen. For now, the app is being tested just on iOS, but it will be available for the Kindle Fire and Android devices in the coming months:
Download: First, download the Messenger Kids app on your child’s iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone from the App Store.
Authenticate: Then, authenticate your child’s device using your own Facebook username and password. This will not create a Facebook account for your child or give them access to your Facebook account.
Create an account: Finish the setup process by creating an account for your child, where all you’ll need to do is provide their name. Then the device can be handed over to the child so they can start chatting with the family and friends you approve.
Add contacts: To add people to your child’s approved contact list, go to the Messenger Kids parental controls panel in your main Facebook app. To get there, click on “More” on the bottom right corner in your main Facebook app, and click “Messenger Kids” in the Explore section.