Research shows that excessive social media use is already harming adolescents and teens,” the letter says. The standalone Messenger Kids app was launched in December with strict parental controls including contact approvals and safety filters to prevent children sharing inappropriate material. Since then Zuckerberg has been grilled about Messenger Kids while testifying before the US Congress in April. Some have seen the Messenger Kids app as a pragmatic approach to providing somewhere for those under 13 to go that is not the main Facebook social network. A Facebook spokesperson said: “Messenger Kids was built from the ground up with input from families, safety experts and child development advocates.

Source: The Guardian May 24, 2018 16:00 UTC