Messenger Kids is a video chat and messaging app created by Facebook. It is designed for children under 13 years old to communicate with family and friends approved by their parents. Parents have full control over their child’s contacts and activity in the app. One of the key features of Messenger Kids is the ability for kids to engage in video chats and send messages to approved contacts. But can kids actually chat freely in the app or are there limitations? Let’s take a closer look at how messaging works on Messenger Kids.
Overview of Messenger Kids
Here are some key things to know about Messenger Kids:
- Launched in 2017
- Designed for kids under 13
- Requires parental setup and approval
- Gives parents full control over contacts
- No in-app purchases or advertising
- Features video chat, voice chat, and messaging
- Available as app on iOS and Android devices
The idea behind Messenger Kids is to provide a safer messaging environment for younger children who may not be old enough for regular social media apps. It gives parents oversight while allowing kids to connect with relatives and friends.
Parental Controls in Messenger Kids
Messenger Kids was designed from the ground up with parental controls in mind. Here are some of the key controls parents have:
- Parents download the Messenger Kids Parent app and authenticate through their own Facebook account
- Parents use the Parent app to create their child’s Messenger Kids account
- Parents fully control who the child connects with through approval
- Parents can see all of their child’s contacts and chat history within the app
- Parental controls include contact blocking, screen time limits and more
- Kids cannot connect with strangers or hide contacts from parents
The parental oversight is a core part of Messenger Kids. Parents stay in charge of who their child interacts with. All chat activity is also fully transparent to parents through the Parent app.
Messaging Functionality in Messenger Kids
So what can kids actually do when it comes to messaging within Messenger Kids? Here are the key messaging features available:
- One-on-one text chat
- Group text chat with approved contacts
- Sticker and emoji reactions during chats
- Photo messaging with fun filters and effects
- Messenger Kids feed for sharing posts with all contacts
- Augmented reality masks, frames and effects
- Games you can play during video chat
While limited compared to adult messaging apps, Messenger Kids provides a range of age-appropriate messaging functionality. Kids can have fun casual chats with approved friends and family.
Text Chat Capabilities
The core messaging capability on Messenger Kids is simple text chat. Here are some key things to know about how text chat works:
- Kids can engage in 1-on-1 chats with approved contacts
- Group chats are also available, with parents approving each group member
- Messaging is asynchronous, allowing kids to chat when it’s convenient
- Parents can always view their child’s message history in the Parent app
- Text formatting options are available, like bold, italics, lists, etc.
- Stickers, GIFs and emoji reactions can be used during chats
The text chat functionality allows kids to have real conversations while parents maintain oversight.
One-on-One Messaging
Kids are able to chat one-on-one with any contact approved by a parent. This lets them have private conversations with friends or relatives. Parents get to decide who gets approved as a contact.
Group Messaging
In addition to 1-on-1 chats, group messaging is also possible. Parents can authorize the creation of group chats and approve each member of the group. This gives kids the ability to message with small groups of friends.
Asynchronous Messaging
Unlike live video chat, messaging conversations do not have to happen in real-time. Kids can send a message whenever it’s convenient and the recipient can respond later. This asynchronous messaging gives flexibility.
Additional Messaging Features
Beyond basic text chat, Messenger Kids offers a variety of additional age-appropriate messaging capabilities.
Photos
Kids can send fun photos to their contacts with filters, effects, frames and stickers added. This encourages visual communication.
Messenger Kids Feed
The Messenger Kids feed allows posting content that all connections can view and interact with. Kids can use the feed to share moments from their day.
Games
A selection of games are available that kids can play while video chatting. These provide interactive entertainment during conversations.
Augmented Reality
Fun AR masks, frames and effects can be used to enhance messaging and video chats. Kids can add silly faces or accessories to liven up conversations.
Text Chat Moderation
To maintain safety and appropriateness, Messenger Kids uses AI moderation for text chats:
- Conversations are automatically scanned for safety issues
- Blocking, filtering and human review tools prevent abuse
- Kids get warnings about potentially inappropriate chats
- Parents are notified of any serious issues via the Parent app
Multiple tiers of moderation help keep Messaging Kids chats safe and appropriate. The goal is to educate kids and let parents handle any problems.
Messaging Supervision for Parents
As mentioned, parents have full visibility into their child’s Messenger Kids messaging activity:
- Every child contact must be approved by a parent
- Parents can monitor active chats in real-time through the Parent app
- Full message history is viewable by parents within the Parent app
- Parents are notified if any contacts get blocked due to violations
- Kids are limited to 30 minutes of activity per day unless parents specify otherwise
This extensive supervision helps ensure messaging remains safe and appropriate for kids. Parents stay in control.
Educational Messaging Opportunities
While fun and engaging for kids, Messenger Kids also creates opportunities to educate on online communication:
- Kids learn how to interact with known contacts through messaging
- Following rules and appropriate messaging behavior is encouraged
- Kids get practice reading, writing, and expressing themselves through chats
- Collaborating with other children on group projects is possible
- Parental guidance helps kids learn positive online conduct
With proper parental participation, Messenger Kids can help prepare kids for using online communication responsibly in the future.
The Answer: Limited Messaging Capabilities
To summarize the key points:
- Messenger Kids enables simple 1-on-1 and group text chats
- Additional features like photos, games and AR provide enhanced functionality
- Messaging is moderated for safety and appropriateness
- Parents have complete visibility and control over all chats
- The focus is on kid-friendly communication with known approved contacts
So in conclusion, yes kids can chat on Messenger Kids, but in a very limited and controlled environment optimized for safety. The training-wheels messaging experience helps prepare children for more open online communication later in life.
Comparison to Other Messaging Apps
To fully appreciate Messenger Kids’ messaging capabilities, it helps to compare them against other messaging apps:
| Messenger Kids | Facebook Messenger | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Range | Under 13 | 16+ | 13+ |
| Parental controls | Extensive | Very Limited | Limited |
| Stranger messaging | Not allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| Contact approvals | Required | Not required | Not required |
As you can see, Messenger Kids stands out with extensive parental controls and restrictions on who kids can chat with. The focus is exclusively on supervised communication with known friends and family.
Conclusion
Messenger Kids provides a relatively limited but safe messaging environment for children. Kids can only communicate with parent-approved contacts and all chats are fully supervised. This allows children under 13 to start learning how to chat online, while giving parents complete peace of mind. So in essence, Messenger Kids offers training-wheels messaging – getting kids started with online communication basics under the watchful eye of parents.