Parents Want Fun, Safer Messaging Solutions for Kids?

 Today, parents are increasingly allowing their children to use tablets  and smartphones at younger ages. In fact, nine in ten 6-12-year-olds in  the US have access to tablets or smartphones, and two out of three use  tablets or smartphones on a daily basis. But parents often have  questions and concerns about how their kids use them and which apps are  appropriate.Whether it’s using video chat to talk to grandparents,  staying in touch with cousins who live far away, or sending mom a  decorated photo while she’s working late to say "hi," parents want safe  messaging options that are also fun for kids to use.Messenger Kids,  which launched this month in the US on the App Store, is the latest  solution to answering these parents’ needs."After talking to thousands  of parents, associations like National PTA, and parenting experts in the  US, we found that most feel there’s a need for apps that let kids  connect with people they love, but also have the level of parental  control parents want," says Loren Cheng, Product Management  Director.Standalone apps such as Messenger Kids have many benefits,  including:Connection. Apps are a great way for children to connect with  the people they love. With Messenger Kids, kids can video chat and  message with parent-approved contacts once their account is set up by a  parent.Creativity. An app should be fun, and should allow kids to  express themselves within the limits set by parents. Messenger Kids  features a library of kid-appropriate and specially chosen GIFs, frames,  stickers, masks and drawing tools that let them decorate photos and  videos and have more fun with live video chats.Control. Messenger Kids  helps ease parents’ concerns about how children are using devices and  whether they are using apps that are age-appropriate. It also gives  parents more control. Parents fully control the contact list and kids  can’t connect with people that their parent does not  approve.Convenience. Apps, especially for kids, must be easy to setup  and use. Messenger Kids was designed with input from thousands of  parents and over a dozen expert advisors in the areas of child  development, online safety, children’s media and technology. Once the  account is established, the home screen shows kids at a glance whom they  are approved to talk to, and when those contacts are online.This  preview of Messenger Kids is only available in the US at this time on  the Apple App Store, and will be coming to Amazon App Store and Google  Play Store in the coming months.