And just as they want to say “lights out” at night, they also want to be able to say “phones off.”" Just as they want to know whose house their child will be visiting for a playdate, they want to know who their child is connecting with online. "They want a level of control over their kids’ digital world that is similar to the level they have in the real world. We collaborated with National PTA on a study with more than 1,200 American parents of children under the age of 13, and three of every five parents surveyed said their kids under 13 use messaging apps, social media or both, while 81 percent reported their children started using social media between the ages of eight and 13," said Davis.ĭavis said while children expressed a desire to use social media to have fun, all of their research shows one consistent theme: parents want to know they’re in control. "Research shows that kids are using apps that are intended for teens and adults. Messenger Kids is separate from Facebook, so a child does not an account on the main platform.įeatures include including specially chosen GIFs, stickers, masks, and frames, as well as drawing tools.Īntigone Davis, Facebook's Public Policy Director, Global Head of Safety explained in a note that the decision behind the Messenger Kids app is the fact that children are using technology at a younger age but not those that are age appropriate. There are special protections to block abusive content from appearing in the app.Īnticipating concerns about privacy, Facebook says that the app will collect minimal data from its users, aside from identifying which contacts the user interacts with most frequently. Messages never disappear and can’t be deleted, so parents can always find them on their kids’ devices.Ĭhildren also get to block any person they don’t want to talk to, and they can report inappropriate messages. The app allows parents have to approve a child’s contacts, and request friends on behalf of their kids from their own Facebook account. Here are some things you should know about the app: Messaging is an increasingly important area for tech companies as well, as they realize that users may spend more time messaging than they do in any other social platforms.Īll of this is to say: I am very excited to exchange Moana GIFs with my 6-to-12-year-old friends, as long as their parents approve.Facebook today debuted its Messenger app for kids.Ĭalled Messenger Kids, the app aims to provide young children with an outlet to connect with relatives but with parents' concern about safety in mind. With Messenger Kids, Facebook is getting a head start on hooking the teens of tomorrow.Īnd it’s not just about the age of the audience. For Facebook, the stakes may be partially existential: Though Snapchat has stumbled since going public earlier this year, it still represents a significant competitor with Facebook for the attention of teens and young adults. But the difficulty of regulating content for children has also been in the news, with YouTube’s service for kids under a spotlight for the disturbing videos that thrive there. The New York Times recently created a regular Sunday kids’ section, and Slate’s sister company Panoply houses Pinna, a podcast subscription service for kids. Messenger Kids arrives at a time when more and more companies are experimenting with outlets for kids. Training wheels for digital literacy, sure, not to mention a lifetime of social media addiction! It’s also training wheels for social media and messaging,” said Larry Magid, CEO and co-founder of. One of the quotes Facebook included in its press packet about the product gets at this tension: “Messenger Kids is more than just a fun way for kids to communicate with parentally approved friends and family. While the attempt to provide a nonexploitative space for kids is commendable, it won’t be lost on, well, anyone that this move will also groom a new generation of kids into being future Facebook users. In announcing the app, Facebook cited figures from market researcher Dubit that claim that 93 percent of 6- to 12-year-olds have access to tablets or smartphones, and 66 percent of them have smartphones or tablets of their own. In contrast to Amazon’s pointless recent effort to capture a teen audience, Facebook’s new app seems to recognize that, despite the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, many children are likely already on services like Facebook.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |