Facebook’s Messenger app for kids now on Android

Just before the end of last year, the world’s most widely used social media platform had debuted its Messenger mobile app for kids, but only made it available for owners of Apple devices. The following month, Facebook would later on launch Messenger Kids on Amazon Fire tablets. And now, the company is moving on to rolling out the app for smartphones and tablets powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system.

For those not in the know, Facebook’s Messenger app for kids grants moms and dads everywhere the control when it comes to which other people their children can chat with. The feature even allows parents to add or remove contacts, while sending alerts if their kids ever report or block a person they have been in contact with.

Similar to how the regular Messenger mobile app works, Messenger Kids serves as an easy means for young users to send text messages or initiate video chats with family and friends. At the same time, the Messenger app for kids also offers support for animated GIFs, frames, emoji, and even masks. On top of all that, kids can readily use the app without having to set up an account for themselves, although they do need to make sure their parents have Facebook accounts. 

The introduction of Facebook’s Messenger app for kids has drawn some flak from certain circles, particularly the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a non-profit advocacy organization that is based in the city of Boston in Massachusetts. Exactly a couple of weeks ago, the group had sent a letter to Facebook, urging the social media giant to discontinue the Messenger Kids app. The advocacy group basically argued that kids are too young to be using Messenger, citing the potential negative impact of exposing young minds to too much Internet time and social media use.

Obviously, Facebook has chosen to go on with its deployment of its Messenger Kids app, despite the protestations of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. The advocacy group has since issued another statement, saying that it never received a response from the biggest social network across the globe. Moreover, the organization claims that through Facebook’s actions, the company appears to be more interested in expanding its market share (perhaps in an effort to retain its reportedly eroding teenage user base?) than in helping set up a meaningful discussion about how it can help protect kids against too much technology.