Facebook is one of the most popular apps that most people use nowadays. From children to adults, everyone is on the app. You can post anything on your account and get likes and comments, making it addictive for people to be on the app.
However, Facebook is not limited to feed and posts; it has introduced its messaging app, messenger. As Facebook is a large space and community where many people worldwide are connected, some people have bad intentions. They may be harmful and bullies. It would be best if you ensured that your kids don’t encounter such people.
Facebook messages may help your kids connect with strangers and share inappropriate content. You must monitor your kids’ messages and ensure they’re safe online. In this blog, I’m talking about how to monitor kids’ Facebook messages.
What are the risks of children using Facebook messenger?
There are a lot of problems that may occur if your child uses Facebook. Facebook is one of the most addictive applications, and it would be best to think twice before allowing your children to create a Facebook account.
As different types of people from all around the world use Facebook Messenger, not all of them use it for a good purpose. Some of them may want to harm others and exploit them. Your kids may encounter such dangerous people and get abused as well.
Children, especially in their teenage years, tend to feel cool by talking to strangers on the internet. They have no idea about the consequences they may face if they communicate with the wrong people online.
There are a lot of cybercrimes that occur through Facebook messenger. Your child may also be cyberbullied. You need to be aware of what they’re doing on their messenger. You can now use the new Facebook messenger parents dashboard introduced by Facebook.
What are Messenger Kids?
Messenger Kids is a parental control-friendly version of messenger especially designed for kids under 13. It has been created with the help of child development experts and parents to give kids a safe and controlled way to chat with family and friends.
The app features a simplified design, including large buttons, easy-to-use parental controls, and lightweight features like drawing, emoji, video chat, and more. The app also includes safety features like filters for inappropriate content or links and an optional parent control passcode to monitor conversations or block people from contacting your child on the app.
It allows kids to communicate with their close friends and families.
What are the Features of the new Parents Dashboard of Facebook Messenger Kids?
The Messenger Kids Parent Dashboard in the Facebook iOS and Android apps give parents access to these new features.
1. Log of Images in Chats
You can check your child’s inbox to see the latest photos and videos they’ve sent and received. You can remove any image or video from your child’s message thread and report it if you believe it is inappropriate.
2. Recent Contacts and Chat History
This feature lets you see who your child is talking to via video calls or messages and how often those conversations have continued over the past 30 days.
3. Reported and Blocked Contacts History
You can get a list of your child’s reporting and blocking actions while using the app. You can find all the contacts your child has blocked or unblocked, messages your child has reported, contacts they have registered, and the reason. Facebook will further notify you if your children block or report someone.
4. Remote Device Logout
You can find all the devices your children are logged in to and use Facebook messenger. You can log out from all the devices using the parent dashboard.
How to access the Parents Dashboard of Facebook Messenger Kids?
Using the parent’s dashboard, Facebook allows you to manage your kids’ messenger account. Here are the steps for accessing the parent’s dashboard.
Step 1: You need to first log into your account.
Step 2: Go to Home and search for messenger kids in your menu. If you can’t see the option, click on see more and scroll down. As you find the messenger kids option, click on it.
Step 3: Find accounts you manage and click on the left, where you can see your child’s name. You will now have access to the parent’s dashboard.
Finally
Facebook Messenger is a popular messaging app with over 1 billion monthly active users. This means that many conversations are happening on the platform, and it can be difficult for parents to keep track of everything.
Hence, you can provide your children’s version of the Facebook messenger using your account. This will give you access to a parent dashboard with features to monitor kids’ Facebook messenger.
Using the parent dashboard, you can review all the chat lists, images shared in the chat, recent contacts, and chat history. You can also search for who your kids have reported and blocked.
There are other additional apps that you can use for a better experience with lots of features to monitor kids’ Facebook messenger. It will help you with a better parental control solution rather than relying on the parent dashboard only.
