Facebook has launched Messenger Kids, a free messaging app for kids under 13 that comes with parental controls. This app enables parents to manage and control their kid's activities from their Facebook accounts. It allows kids to digitally communicate and stay in touch with their friends and family from a controlled online environment.
Here, we provide parents with a comprehensive guide to setting up Messenger Kid's parental controls. Read on to find out more!
| Features | What Can Parents Do |
|---|---|
| Supervised Friending | Choose how to supervise friending. |
| Contacts and Chat History | Check your kid's recent contacts, and chat history, and track how often your kid talk to each contact in the last 30 days. |
| Images in Chats | See recent photos and videos, both sent and received. |
| Report and Block Contacts | Report and block specific contacts from the Parent Dashboard. |
| Sleep Mode | Set the time and day you want your kids to use the app. |
| Remote Device Log-out | See all the devices your child's Messenger is logged into and log them out from any of these devices. |
| Account Information Download | Download your child's Messenger account information. You should note that your kid will be notified of your downloading. |
Next, we'll guide you on setting up parental controls for Messenger Kids using the Parent Dashboard in your Facebook app, spanning everything from account creation to daily activity management.
Kids below 13 are not allowed to use or own a Facebook account. But with the new Facebook Messenger Kid's app, kids of 6-12 years can stay online. You can create a Messenger Kids account for your child from your account.
To do that:
1. Download Messenger Kids from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store on your child's device.
2. Open the app and tap 'Confirm.'
3. Enter your Facebook account details and select 'Authorize device.'
4. Enter your child's info, and tap 'Continue' > 'Creating account' to create an account.
Alternatively, you can create an account for your child from your Facebook account.
You can manage your child's contacts from your dashboard, including supervising friending, removing your child's contacts, and helping your child connect with more friends.
You can choose how to supervise friending for your child. There are two options;
My child can choose friends: Your child can add and remove friends from their friend list and you'll be notified every time. You can still add and remove friends through the Parent Dashboard.
Only I can choose friends: Only you or the other parent/guardian (if applicable) can add and remove friends from the Parent Dashboard.
To access the friending option;
1. Go to the 'Menu' option in your Facebook account
2. Navigate to 'Messenger Kids.'
3. Tap the child's name and select 'CONTROLS.'
4. Choose 'Friending.'
5. Select the preferred friending option and tap "save."
You can add or remove contacts to your child's account through Parent Dashboard on your Facebook app.
To add a contact;
1. open the Facebook app and go to the menu at the top right
2. Navigate to "Messenger Kids."
3. Select your child's account and select 'contacts.'
4. Tap 'Choose people' to add a contact for your child.
5. Tap 'add' to add the contact.
To remove a contact;
1. Select 'next' on the contact.
2. Select 'remove' to remove the contact.
Alternatively, you can do all these from the Facebook desktop site.
If none of your child's friends are on messenger, you can invite them to use the app. Their parent/guardian will receive the invite on their behalf.
The "connect with more friends" feature will make your child's profile visible to others when you activate it. Friends of friends, from your end and their end, and children of those you want to invite to the app will see your child's profile. They can then request to add your child as a friend.
To activate this feature;
Open the Facebook app and navigate to "Messenger Kids."
1. Choose your child's profile and tap 'control.'
2. Select help + your child's name + connect. For instance, if your child's name Is Jane, it will be displayed as 'help Jane connect.'
3. Select 'Next' to allow your child's friends-of-friends to request a chat.
Share Codes to Friends
The code is a four-word code. Your child's friends can request permission to chat with your child with this code. They can also find friends on the app with the code and add them.
1. Open the app and tap your child's profile
2. The four-word code is visible below their profile picture
3. Tap the code to copy it.
Use Codes to Add Friends
1. Navigate to 'add a friend' on the Messenger Kid app
2. Type the code and select 'ask to chat.'
Block Someone on Messenger
When your child blocks a contact from their account, a separate list is created for those contacts. You can see this list from your end in the dashboard.
1. On the messenger app, scroll to the contact you want to block
2. Tap their profile picture for more option
3. Navigate to "block."
4. Select "block" to block them from contacting the account
The Parent Dashboard is organized into ACTIVITY, CONTACTS, and CONTROL. Under the ACTIVITY tab, you'll find 'Recent contacts and groups,' 'Updates to contacts,' 'Images in chats,' 'Reported/blocked contacts,' etc. You can view your child's activity on your Facebook Parent Dashboard.
To view your child's activities:
1. Open the Facebook app on your device.
2. Tap the menu icon and navigate to Messenger Kids.'
3. Tap on your child's profile and select the 'ACTIVITY' tab.
Images sent and received by your child can be removed from their account using the activity tab on your Parent Dashboard.
Any image you remove will also be removed from your view in your account.
However, the person at the other end of the chat will still see the image unless their parent removes it too.
To manage images:
1. Go to the Facebook app on your device and tap on the option.
2. Navigate to "Messenger Kids" and select the profile of the child.
3. Go to 'Images in chats' under the 'ACTIVITY' tab.
4. Tap on any image you want to remove or report.
5. Select the 'i' icon option at the top corner of the image and tap 'Remove Image.'
6. If you want to report the image, select 'Report this Image.'
The downloaded information contains all the account activity, including the chatting history, the chatting frequency with a particular contact, and the pictures and videos sent/received.
When you download your child's information, they'll get notified of your downloading.
You can download your child's account information from the Parent Dashboard.
To do this:
1. Tap the 'Menu' option on your Facebook app.
2. Tap your child profile and go to 'CONTROLS.'
3. Select 'Download xx's information.' For example, if your child's account is named 'Noah,' you can tap 'Download Noah's information.'
4. Choose the information you want to download.
5. Select 'CREATE FILE' to download.
The sleep mode allows you to schedule when the app will be used to minimize addiction. Your child cannot use the app when the sleep mode is activated. You can set when the sleep mode is activated and when you want it deactivated. It could be within hours or days.
To set up the sleep mode:
1. On your Facebook app, go to 'Menu' and select 'Messenger Kids.'
2. Click your kid's account.
3. Under 'CONTROL' tab, select 'Sleep mode.'
4. Turn on the button for when you want the sleep mode activated.
5. Set the start and stop time, and you are done.
Note: You can also set up the sleep mode from the Parent Dashboard website. Simply open your Facebook website and choose 'Messenger Kids' from the left side menu, then follow the same procedure as above.
Your child can log in to their Messenger Kids account on several devices. You can log off your child's account remotely from the devices they no longer use.
To do that:
1. Navigate to 'Messenger Kids' from the top corner menu icon on your Facebook app.
2. Select the child's profile.
3. Choose 'Log out of devices' from the 'CONTROL' option.
4. Tap 'Log out' from the front of the device.
TIf you want to know if your child is online, you can allow or disallow your child's contacts to see it.
To do this:
1. Under 'CONTROL' tab, tap 'Online status.'
2. You'll see the 'Let xx's contacts see when xx's online' button.
3. You can turn this button on or off as needed.
The same way you authorized their account, you can delete it too if you don't want them using the app. You can do that from your dashboard.
To delete the account:
1. In your Parent Dashboard, go to 'CONTROL' tab.
2. Choose 'Edit info' and select 'delete account.'
3. Choose 'Delete' to confirm the action.
Messenger Kids is a good option for parents who want a safer online environment for their kids. Our complete tutorial above can help you easily set up parental controls for Messenger Kids.
In addition, for more online protection, you may need a more comprehensive parental control app. The AirDroid Parental Control app is one of the best parental control apps tested. It has features that ensure the total protection of your kids both online and offline. Try it out for free today.
You can put parental control on your kid's messenger from your Facebook account. Your dashboard has options for you to do that.
Yes, more than one parent can control a kid's messenger. But first, additional parents must be added. To do that,
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