Messenger for Kids can now add another parent, set sleep mode

Childcare experts are probably still not convinced that Messenger for Kids is a good idea, but Facebook claims that it has been helpful for parents and relatives to stay in touch with their children and for them to still be in communication with loved ones that are both near and far. Now the app’s latest new features lets guardians add another guardian to manage the child’s account and also lets you set a sleep mode to make sure the kids are not over-using the app.

One of the safety guidelines that Facebook imposes on Messenger for Kids is that an adult, whether it’s the parent or legal guardian, has full access to the app to ensure that the kids are digitally (and eventually physically) safe. Now you can add another authorized person to help manage the child’s account, help add new connections, and make sure that the kids are talking to “legitimate” people on their accounts.

To ensure that the kids don’t overuse Messenger, you can now set the app to sleep mode during specific times so that the kid will not be able to access or use the app. You can set it up for weekdays only (Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu) or for weekends only (Fri, Sat) or both. You can set the specific time the app will be put to sleep or the duration for how long they won’t be able to use it. The settings will remain in effect until you change them and the kids won’t be able to edit them as well.

There has been some concern that Messenger for Kids will be a sort of gateway drug for the young ones to get initiated into Facebook. But the social media giant insists that it’s just a communication tool for loved ones to stay in touch with the kids and that they are ensuring with tools like this that the children will not become addicted.

UPDATE: The original screenshots of the new Messenger for Kids features were first spotted by Matt Navarra, who shared them on his Twitter:

VIA: MSPower User