One of the largest social media platforms Facebook has introduced a new feature to its Messenger Kids app which is the under-13 chat application that makes it easier for the children to add their friends on the platform.
Under this feature, the connection requests will be sent directly to the parents, who have to accept every contact before they can connect and interact with their kids through the platform.
“Parents have to turn on a setting that creates a four-word passphrase that is used to generate these contact requests,” stated a report. “Both parents will receive a contact request from their child and both have to approve the request before the kids can begin chatting.”
The newly launched feature will enable the kids between the ages of 6 and 13 to exchange photographs, videos and text messages with their friends and with adults after the requests have been approved by their parents.
However, Facebook is being criticized for adding the feature to its Messenger Kids app as this will make it more addictive to use for children as young as six.
“In other words, this doesn’t represent a loosening of the rules around parental approvals – all contact requests still require parents’ explicit attention and confirmation, as before,” the report added.
Facebook launched Messenger Kids in December 2017 and it combines most of the features of its flagship Messenger app with comprehensive parental controls over their kids’ accounts.