ADVOCACY GROUPS ASK FACEBOOK TO DISCONTINUE MESSENGER KIDS

SOCIAL MEDIA IS DETRIMENTAL TO MENTAL HEALTH, ARGUE CHILD HEALTH EXPERTS.

Facebook launched Messenger Kids for children as young as six years old, but child care advocates are urging the social media platform to discontinue the app. A letter sent by the advocates to Zuckerberg cites numerous studies that link social media use to child development and mental health issues, not to mention the concerns over privacy and the possibility of abuse. Facebook claims it worked closely with experts to ensure the app was safe for younger users, but it’s been reported that these experts were funded by the social media platform. Despite the criticism, the app is now available on both Android and iOS.