Family Tech Blog

Tag: facebook messenger

  • Facebook Messenger Kids Wants To Teach Your Children Kindness

    Facebook Messenger Kids Wants To Teach Your Children Kindness

    There have been a few important updates in Facebook Messenger Kids lately. The first of which is a focus on kindness and digital citizenship. The app has added features to walk kids through kind online behavior and safety on social media. The app has kids agree to a pledge that asks them to be kind, respectful, safe, and have fun in the app. They’ve also added stickers and other creative content that will encourage sending kind messages.

    Facebook has also added the ability for more than one parent to manage a kids app. This will allow both mom and dad to keep an eye on who is asking their kids to friend them on messenger. They recently removed the requirement for parents to be Facebook friends of each other in order to allow their kids to chat but this feature is a very parent-friendly addition. It is, in fact, a direct response to feedback from parents whose kids use the app.

    Facebook also announced that they’ll be releasing something called “Appreciation Mission” which will introduce children to some ways they can show appreciation to friends and family on Facebook Messenger Kids.

    What Parents Should Know

    Many experts are concerned about the amount of harassment and mistreatment on social media as well as the general overuse of our screens. A feature that helps kids understand the importance of kindness online is a very good idea. Thus far, Facebook Messenger for Kids is the best option out there to give your kids the freedom of a social media messenger within the boundaries you’ve decided are necessary to keep them safe. Be sure to follow the guidelines of the app and set some time limits to be sure your kids aren’t overusing their screens as video and photo messaging can make the time pass very quickly.

  • Facebook’s “Messenger Kids” App Launches on Android

    Facebook’s “Messenger Kids” App Launches on Android

    Today, Facebook released the Android version of their Messenger Kids app. This means it’s available on iOS, Android, and Kindle now. That should pretty much cover most families. Facebook Messenger Kids puts the control in the parent’s hands, making it easy by building it into the Facebook App and Messenger App that you likely already use. You can decide who they are allowed to chat with and approve or deny friend requests.

    CHECK OUT: Facebook Messenger for Kids! for even more info about the app.

    My family uses Messenger Kids, albeit with some strict time limits (1hr per day) which we enforce through Circle (all devices) and unGlue (our older child.) It is a great way to help them get a feel for chatting through a messenger without strangers, bullies, or the constant notifications or FOM0 (Fear of Missing Out) that can accompany tech addiction. Facebook built in a lot of the controls and made the app kid-friendly by not allowing gifs that don’t originate in the Kids Messenger app and not allowing messages to be sent to unapproved friends.

    What Parents Should Know

    Since settings are controlled through your Facebook account, parents don’t have to have the same type of device as their child. You can set up your kids’ messenger app on his Android through your iPhone, for example. Keep in mind how addicting it can be to message your friends. Remember not to give them access to approve or disapprove of their friends on Messenger, this defeats the entire purpose. I know it can get tiresome to always have to sign off on everything they want to do online but Facebook makes it pretty easy with notifications on your own app.

    Use something to manage their time, like unGlue.  Talk to your kids about only messaging people they know in person and let them know what to do if someone asks them something they aren’t comfortable with. They should know that they can come to you when there is trouble. Messenger Kids is a good idea from Facebook and they did a lot of work to learn what parents would want out of a messaging app for their kids. Now the app is available on all devices so, if your kids have people they want to talk with, use this as a way to keep them in touch safely.