Messenger Kids

Is Messenger Kids safe?

Messenger Kids is one of the more controlled ways for a child under 13 to chat and video call. Parents decide who is on the contact list, can see what is sent, and can block use at bedtime. There are no ads and nothing to buy. We score it 61/100, ten points ahead of the adult Facebook Messenger app (51).

What holds it back is the company behind it. Meta keeps children's messages, photos and videos on its servers, the app is not described as end-to-end encryptedEnd-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary, and the FTC alleges that the core promise, that only approved contacts can reach a child, failed for about two years.

How contacts and parent controls work

Every Messenger Kids account is managed from a parent's Facebook account through the Parent Dashboard. The child does not need a Facebook account. From the dashboard a parent can:

• approve each friend request, or remove contacts at any time;
• see who the child is chatting with and the photos and videos sent and received;
• download a copy of the child's messages, contacts, images and videos;
• set Sleep Mode, which limits the days and times the app works;
• switch off face filters and other optional features.

When a child blocks or reports someone, the parent is told. Reports can cover bullying, sexual or violent content and someone pretending to be a friend or relative.

The privacy policy also describes looser options. A parent can let the child make and accept friend requests without approving each one, and can let the child join group conversations with Messenger or Messenger Kids users the parent has not approved. Both are opt-in, and the parent can still review and remove friends. Our advice is to leave them off for younger children: they turn a closed family list into something closer to an ordinary chat app.

The group chat flaw and the FTC case

In May 2023 the FTC said that from late 2017 until mid-2019, children using Messenger Kids could in some cases talk to unapproved contacts in group text chats and group video calls, despite Meta's promise that they could only reach contacts their parents had approved. The FTC alleged that this misled parents and broke the COPPA Rule, the FTC Act and Facebook's 2012 privacy order.

The FTC used these and other findings to propose tighter limits on Meta, including a ban on making money from data of users under 18. These are allegations, not a ruling. Meta filed its response opposing the changes in 2024. The FTC's case timeline shows a Commission decision on its power to modify the order in January 2025, and an order staying the proceeding on 30 July 2025. No final order or fine has been issued.

What Meta collects from children

Messenger Kids collects more than most children's apps, because it is a messaging service. The privacy policy lists the child's full name, profile picture, birthday and gender, every message, sticker, photo and video sent or received, metadata such as call times, the friends the child talks to most, and device details including IP address. Apple's label adds coarse location.

Meta uses this to run the app, suggest new Messenger Kids friends and improve its products, and it may share the data with other Meta companies. The policy says Meta does not sell children's personal information, and Apple's label lists no data used for tracking or advertising. Personal chats in the adult Messenger app are end-to-end encryptedEnd-to-end encryptionEncryption in which only the sender and the recipient can read a message. The company running the service cannot see its content.More in the glossary by default; the Messenger Kids policy describes no such protection, and the Parent Dashboard's access to messages shows that the content is stored in a readable form.

Deleting the account removes Meta's copy of the child's data and messages, except what it must keep for legal reasons. Messages already sent stay with the people who received them.

How to set up Messenger Kids safely

1. Approve each friend request yourself, and keep group chats with unapproved people switched off.
2. Turn on Sleep Mode for school nights and bedtime.
3. Secure your own Facebook account with two-factor authenticationTwo-factor authenticationSigning in with a second proof of identity on top of your password, such as a code from an app, a security key or a passkey.More in the glossary, since it controls your child's account.
4. Explain to your child that friends can screenshot and forward anything they send, including during video calls.
5. When your child stops using the app, delete the account through Meta's Help Center rather than just removing the app.

How we scored it

Transparency and control (72) is Messenger Kids' strongest factor, thanks to the Parent Dashboard. Scams and harmful content (66) reflects closed contact lists with optional ways to open them. The regulatory record (62) reflects the FTC's pending allegations about the contact controls. Privacy (52) is the weakest factor: Meta stores a large amount of children's data, including messages, and may share it across Meta's companies.