Facebook messaging products VP defends Messenger Kids; says it helps parents and children interact more easily

In response to the backlash that Facebook’s Messenger Kids has received, David Marcus, the vice president of messaging products has defended the app meant for kids. [caption id=“attachment_4241925” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Messenger Kids. Facebook Newsroom.[/caption] According to a TechCrunch report , he said this app would be a boon for families. Referring to his own experiences, he added that it would let parents and their children interact more easily. He denied that Messenger Kids is a social media platform like others on the internet. This messaging app takes in children between 6 to 12 years of age. Recently, Messenger Kids received backlash from child development advocates . They said that the social networking giant is using the product for its own good. They also added that introducing children to social media, at such a young age, could be detrimental to their mental well being. Messenger for Kids, reportedly, works under the supervision of the parents. It helps in situations when parents are not present with their children. It does not populate the app with ads. The parents have an option to choose to whom their children can speak to, using the app. One of the arguments that the child development experts say is that it violates Children Privacy Protection Rule in the US where children under the age of 13 years should be monitored on the kind of content that a child is exposed to. Any online material for children below 13 years of age requires parental consent. Social networking giants like Facebook , Google allow children beyond the age of 13 years of age to become a part. However, Marcus denied putting Messenger for Kids in the same category as social media.