Facebook should delete Messenger Kids app permanently says experts

Facebook might have to discontinue Messenger Kids, a video calling and messaging app designed for kids under the age of 13. Warning of the dangers of social media for kids, more than 100 child health experts have urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to delete the app permanently.

In an open letter to the Facebook chief, experts have said that the "younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts". "We are writing to urge you to discontinue Messenger Kids, Facebook's first social media app designed specifically for children under the age of 13," said the letter signed by doctors, educators and child health experts and several organizations, chief among which is the US-based Campaign for Commercial-Free

"At a time when there is mounting concern about how social media use affects adolescents' well being, it is particularly irresponsible to encourage children as young as pre-schoolers to start using a Facebook product," the authors wrote.

The Messenger Kids app was launched in December 2017. According to Facebook, the app was designed to help kids connect with close friends and family from their tablet or smartphone. With this app, kids could basically connect only with parent-approved contacts.

The app has no advertising and Facebook says that it will not use the wealth of data it collects from the new app for marketing purposes. But the experts noted in the letter that the app's overall impact on families and society is likely to be negative, normalizing social media use among young children and creating peer pressure for kids to sign up for their first account.

They cited different research to drive home the point that social media use may adversely affect the well being of children. The authors of the letter have urged the Facebook CEO to leave the younger children alone so that they can develop without the pressures that come with social media use.

"We continue to be focused on making Messenger Kids be the best experience it can be for families. We have been very clear that there is no advertising in Messenger Kids," a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in December warned the social media giant to stay away from his children. "Facebook told me they would come back with ideas to prevent underage use of their product, but instead they are actively targeting younger children. Stay away from my kids please Facebook and act responsibly!" Hunt had earlier posted on Twitter.