Child Health Advocates Tell Facebook To End Messenger Kids

A group of child health advocates are calling on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discontinue Messenger Kids, the app released by the company in December designed for kids aged 13 and under. In an open letter signed by 15 separate groups, the advocates warned that it is very likely the app will undermine children's healthy development.

"Younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts," the advocates write. "They are not old enough to navigate the complexities of online relationships, which often lead to misunderstandings and
conflicts even among more mature users. They also do not have a fully developed understanding of privacy, including what’s appropriate to share with others and who has access to their conversations, pictures, and videos."

Messenger Kids features parental controls: Only parents can add friends and delete messages — not kids. Also, the kids' Messenger account is an extension of the parents' account, rather than their own.

Federal law prohibits internet companies from collecting personal information on kids under 13 without their parents' permission and imposes restrictions on advertising to them. This is why Facebook and many other social media companies prohibit younger kids from joining.

Studies have shed light on the negative effects social media has on teenagers. In November, a study from San Diego State University suggested that social media use might be linked to an increase in teen suicides.

The letter from the child advocates cited studies that show social media use by teens is linked to significantly higher rates of depression, lower satisfaction with their lives and unhealthy sleep habits. The letter also cited that eighth graders who use social media for six to nine hours are 47 percent more likely to report they are unhappy compared to peers who use social media less often. Another study of girls between the ages of 10 and 12 that found that the more the girls used social media, the more likely they were to idealize thinness, have concerns about their weight and to have dieted.

The advocates argued that Messenger Kids is likely to increase the amount of time pre-school and elementary-age kids spend with digital devices, and adolescents have already report difficulty moderating their social media use.

The group also said that while Facebook said children could use Messenger Kids to connect with long-distance family members, this could be achieved through applications like Skype and an old-fashioned phone.

"Doing better is leaving younger children alone and allowing them to develop without the pressures that come with social media use," the group wrote in conclusion. "Raising children in our new digital age is difficult enough. We ask that you do not use Facebook’s enormous reach and influence to make it even harder. Please make a strong statement that Facebook is committed to the wellbeing of children and society by pulling the plug on Messenger Kids."

A Messenger spokesperson sent Patch the following statement via email:

“Messenger Kids is a messaging app that helps parents and children to chat in a safer way, with parents always in control of their child’s contacts and who they can message. Since we launched in December we’ve heard from parents around the country that Messenger Kids has helped them stay in touch with their children and has enabled their children to video chat with fun masks with family members near and far. For example, we’ve heard stories of parents working night shifts being able read bedtime stories to their children, and moms who travel for work getting daily updates from their kids while they're away. We worked to create Messenger Kids with an advisory committee of parenting and developmental experts, as well as with families themselves and in partnership with National PTA. 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."

You can read the full letter from the child health advocates here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Facebook via AP