It is one of the most famous social media platforms for adults and teens. More than 2 billion users use Facebook to stay in touch with their friends and for similar purposes. Out of these users, nearly half of them use Messenger, which is the messaging and video chatting app for Facebook. Many teens also go for apps like Instagram and TikTok, but many young teens use the Messenger Kids app.
Messenger Kids came out in 2017. It is a video chatting and messaging app for kids to stay in virtual touch with their family and friends. One of the significant parts about the app is that it lets parents oversee what their children are doing, but parents can also depend on the contact list of their current friend list. This way, children feel autonomous, and parents become worry-free because they can see everything that their child is doing on the app. If your child is using this app, this article will help you.
How is it different from other platforms?
Generally, kids below 13 cannot register themselves on social media platforms. It is because of COPPA, a law that protects kids' online data. Messenger Kids overlooks this requirement because the parents are signing up and managing the account on behalf of their children.
Children use the app in an environment where their parents manage all aspects of it. It is almost like a preliminary platform for them before their first significant social media experience. Kids don't have a public profile on Messenger kids. So, other Facebook users cannot see them. Also, parents can choose whether to keep their name and profile photo visible to other contacts and Facebook friends or not. All in all, there is no other social media platform that provides parents with this level of control over their children's social media accounts.
How do Messenger Kids work?
You first have to download Messenger Kids on your child's phone. You can set up their account using your account. Here is what all parents can do with their kids' Messenger Kids account:
- Set time limits on the app usage
- Log their kid out of the app
- Accept or reject the requests that their kids get and even control their contact list
- Use the parents' Messenger account to talk to a child using Messenger Kids
- Parents can download children's chats any time
Messenger Kids is an app that relies on the involvement of parents. There is transparency on both sides so that there is no suspicious activity.
Protective measures on Messenger Kids
In 2019, strangers were randomly allowed in group chats. It was the consequence of a technical error. However, the experts fixed it soon enough. Other than that, Messenger Kids is a highly secure app. Here is what a parent can do on Messenger Kids:
- See who their child is talking to
- Check how much time they spend on it
- Who their child has blocked and unblocked
- Receive every image they send or receive
Children cannot delete anything on this app; thus, parents can scroll and read whichever chat they wish to read on their account. Also, children cannot send YouTube video links or any other links in the app. Therefore, the exposure of potentially harmful content to a child is vastly reduced.
What are the dangers in Messenger Kids?
Irrespective of the security measures in Messenger Kids, there are still some concerns. In fact, strangers are less of a problem on Messenger Kids than their friends. Bullying is common in adolescents. Similarly, cyberbullying is also common among them. However, video chatting is a blind spot in the app.
Thus, you can see who your kids are video calling, but there is no record of the chat. So, you won't know what your children are talking about. Therefore, there would be no evidence if your kid experiences cyberbullying over a video call with someone.
Another concern is that parents often believe that it is too early to expose their children to social media platforms. They think that it will make them hooked on these apps. It is not only a risk for Messenger Kids but for all other social media platforms. Parents can use various methods to set boundaries and time limits on these apps. One such way is by using parental control tools like Avosmart.
How does Avosmart help?
It is one of the best parental control software you can use to keep a watch on your children's online activities. With Avosmart, you can put time limits on apps and websites. Not only that, but you can also block websites, apps, and even YouTube channels that seem to be unsuitable for your children. You will be getting regular reports of the time they spend online, and you can even check their chats. All in all, having a tool like Avosmart is the best way to make sure that your child is safe online and entirely away from unsuitable content.
Conclusion
Messenger Kids is a secure app for parents to let their children stay in touch with their friends. Although it has had its share of data breaches, such things occur with almost every other social media platform. All in all, you have to be consistent with the supervision. Checking on your child can prove to be highly beneficial in the long run because it is an excellent way to make sure that they are secure.