Facebook Launches Messenger Kids App on Android

Whether you allow your child access to social media or not is a particularly controversial topic which doesn’t have an easy answer. One thing remains clear, children will access the platform with or without your consent. After consultations with parents and national associations, Facebook recognised this and has developed an app called Messenger Kids, available on iOS and Android devices in the U.S.

It’s designed specifically for children between the ages of six and 12. The app is packed with features just for kids, where they do not require a Facebook profile to access Messenger Kids; rather it’s controlled through a parent’s account. The app has reportedly been downloaded around 45,000 times since its launch and now has approximately 20,000 daily users.

The app’s release brings controversy of its own – more than 100 child development experts contributed to an open letter calling on Facebook to shut down the app as it could undermine healthy development. Additionally, there have been suggestions that more than half of Facebook’s 13-person advisory board for the app “have some kind of financial tie to the company”.

Love it or hate it, Facebook has pre-empted a solution to a situation which every parent is faced with at some time or another in this new digital era.

What impact do you think this will have on children’s access to social media? Do you think this is a safe solution or merely a gateway to full social media dependency?

Latest Posts

The funnel still matters, but social runs it: brand gravity for familiarity, clean demand capture for speed, and AEO to show up in AI answers.
Read More
Instagram Rings is a new and exciting award that celebrates creators who take bold, creative risks and push the boundaries of content on the platform. Instead of focusing on follower counts or financial benchmarks, it honors originality, cultural impact, and the spirit of experimentation. Winners receive…
Read More
From Oasis-fuelled nostalgia to TikTok Shop, here’s how UK culture drives baskets. Build for durable shifts, ride bubbles wisely.
Read More