New Facebook Messenger App Helps Parents Fight Bullying

Facebook is working to help parents combat the evergrowing issue with cyberbullying with today's kids by launching the new Messenger Kids app.

More and more kids are using technology at a young age and they tend to use tablets or an ipod without having the ability to text or video chat with friends unless they use their parent's phone. Facebook has come up with an app for kids called Messenger Kids.

I don't have kids and I think every time I hear a story like Hannah Stone of Whitesboro or Ben of Wampsville or some other child being bullied and the parents of the child that not knowing their kids are being bullied or are doing the bullying, I wonder what could be done. I think about what would I do or say to my kids if they were the ones at fault or am I at fault for not even knowing what my child is doing when they are not home. There is less accountability now with all of the cyberbullying although New York is taking steps to remedy that, but we need to do more not less. Facebook is trying to be more helpful in the accountability department with their new Messenger Kids app.

Before you ask, no your child does not need his or her own Facebook account to operate the Messenger app as everything operates through the parents' Facebook account. Their friends will connect through the parents as the parents are the only one that can enter friends. If the child wants to add a friend not already in the system the parent simply contacts the other child's parent requests a contact through the parents Facebook, this works but only if the parents are already Facebook Friends.

Facebook has taken great pains to reach out to child development experts such as the National PTA, the Center of Media and Child Health, the American Association of Pediatrics and many more as a part of an Advisor Committee when developing Messenger kids