How To Use Messenger Kids

Update on January 10, 2018: Messenger Kids is also bachelor for Fire tablets.

Update on February 14, 2018: Messenger Kids is also available on the Google Play Store.

Original mail published December 4, 2017:

Today, in the The states, nosotros're rolling out a preview of Messenger Kids, a new app that makes it easier for kids to safely video chat and message with family and friends when they can't be together in person. Later talking to thousands of parents, associations like National PTA, and parenting experts in the U.s., nosotros found that there's a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people they love simply likewise has the level of control parents want.

To give kids and parents a fun, safer solution, nosotros built Messenger Kids, a standalone app that lives on kids' tablets or smartphones but can be controlled from a parent's Facebook account. Whether it's using video chat to talk to grandparents, staying in impact with cousins who live far away, or sending mom a decorated photo while she'southward working late to say hullo, Messenger Kids opens up a new world of online advice to families. This preview is available on the App Store for iPad, iPod touch and iPhone. (Update: As of January ten, 2017, Messenger Kids volition also available exist available for Burn down tablets and every bit of February 14 it will be available on the Google Play Shop).

Co-Developed With Parents, Kids and Experts

Today, parents are increasingly allowing their children to use tablets and smartphones, but often accept questions and concerns about how their kids apply them and which apps are appropriate. So when we heard about the demand for meliorate apps direct from parents during inquiry and conversations with parents, we knew we needed to develop it alongside the people who were going to use it, besides as experts who could assistance guide our thinking.

In addition to our research with thousands of parents, we've engaged with over a dozen expert advisors in the areas of child evolution, online safety and children's media and engineering science who've helped inform our arroyo to building our first app for kids. We've also had thought-provoking conversations around topics of responsible online advice, parental controls and much more with organizations like National PTA and Bluish Star Families, where we heard firsthand how parents and caregivers approach raising children in today'due south digitally connected world.

And for the by several months, many families at Messenger and Facebook have used the app and helped come up with some of the key features like the easy-to-utilize parental controls.

More Fun For Kids, More Control For Parents

Messenger Kids is full of features for kids to connect with the people they love. One time their account is set upward by a parent, kids can start a i-on-one or grouping video chat with parent-canonical contacts. The dwelling house screen shows them at a glance who they are approved to talk to, and when those contacts are online.

Playful masks, emojis and sound effects bring conversations to life.

In addition to video chat, kids tin send photos, videos or text messages to their parent-approved friends and adult relatives, who will receive the messages via their regular Messenger app.

A library of child-appropriate and especially called GIFs, frames, stickers, masks and drawing tools lets them decorate content and express their personalities.

Messenger Kids gives parents more control. Parents fully command the contact listing and kids can't connect with contacts that their parent does not corroborate. Parents control kids accounts and contacts through the Messenger Kids Controls panel in their main Facebook app:

How to Get Started

Every child account on Messenger Kids must be set up by a parent. For parents, setting your child up with a Messenger Kids account is done in four steps:

Download: First, download the Messenger Kids app on your child's iPad, iPod touch, or iPhone from the App Store. Update: Equally of Jan 20, you can also download the app from the Amazon Appstore.
Cosign: And then, cosign your child's device using your ain Facebook username and password. This volition not create a Facebook account for your child or requite them admission to your Facebook business relationship.
Create an account: Finish the setup process by creating an account for your kid, where all you lot'll demand to do is provide their name. Then the device can be handed over to the child so they can start chatting with the family and friends y'all approve.
Add contacts: To add together people to your kid's approved contact list, go to the Messenger Kids parental controls panel in your master Facebook app. To get there, click on "More" on the lesser right corner in your main Facebook app, and click "Messenger Kids" in the Explore section.

More Information and What'southward Side by side

There are no ads in Messenger Kids and your child's data isn't used for ads. It is free to download and there are no in-app purchases. Messenger Kids is also designed to be compliant with the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA).

This preview of Messenger Kids is simply bachelor in the US at this time on the Apple tree App Store, and will be coming to Amazon App Store and Google Play Shop in the coming months.

We've worked extensively with parents and families to shape Messenger Kids and we're looking frontwards to learning and listening as more than children and families commencement to use the iOS preview.

To acquire more than virtually Facebook'south arroyo to building technologies for kids and the questions we've asked ourselves and discussed with others along the way, read our Difficult Questions blog mail.

For more specific information about the app, visit messengerkids.com.

For the latest on how to utilise Messenger Kids, visit our Help Center.

National PTA does not endorse whatsoever commercial entity, production, or service. No endorsement is implied.