Facebook Messenger Kids, a version of the popular messaging apps with built-in child safety protections, is getting new features today in the US – while the previous version is being rolled out to a further 70 countries …

The app was first launched in the US back in 2017, suffered a major security bug in 2019 and gave parents greater supervisory powers earlier this year.

The new features are:

  • Supervised Friending
  • Approved Adults
  • Easier connections

Previously, kids had no ability to add new contacts – that had to be done for them by their parent or guardian. With Supervised Friending, children can issue and accept contact invitations. However, parents will still be notified, and can choose to override.

Approved Adults means that parents will be able to grant specific individuals the ability to add their children to groups. This feature is primarily intended for use by teachers while schools are closed.

“This is a powerful opportunity and teachable moment for parents to have a conversation with their kids about the life-long skill of choosing one’s friends, both face to face and online,” said Dr. Bernstein. “In addition to allowing parents more ways to manage their child’s messaging experience, Supervised Friending develops kids’ autonomy to decide who they do or don’t want to connect with, while parents can observe, provide guidance and step in as necessary.”

Easier connections are facilitated by giving parents the option of allowing their child’s name and profile photo to be visible to a select group of non-contacts.

“Successful distance learning depends not only on educational content, but social emotional support as well,” said Kathleen Lucchesi, Khan Academy Teacher Ambassador and math department chair at McCaffrey Middle School in Galt, California. “As a teacher, I know my students are missing their friends and daily classroom interactions. I’m excited to use this new feature to help my kids have fun, stay connected and build camaraderie virtually.”

This feature is also available in Canada and Latin America, and will roll out to other countries in the next few weeks.

Finally, Facebook Messenger Kids is rolling out to more than 70 new countries.