Facebook faces another backlash, this time over Messenger Kids

Time and again social networking giant Facebook has fallen prey to technical glitches and design flaws. Once again, the company is under a negative light after its Messenger Kids Service exposed thousands of children on group chats to unauthorised users.

The flaw in the design in the Messenger Kids Service allowed users to cross over the step of protection of the group chat system, hence giving access to children to engage in group chats with unapproved strangers, as stated by the Verge. 

The Messenger Kids was launched by Facebook in 2017, for children falling under the age of 13 years. Despite for withdrawal calls by experts, Facebook stated a technical error behind the problem. 

The company sent a notification to the parents stating it has disabled the group chats in cases wherein the flaw was detected, said a  Facebook spokesperson. Additionally, the company has turned off the group chats as well as provided the parents with additional resources and online safety guidelines with regard to the Messenger Kids. 

Messenger Kids is a messaging application coupled with a video chat feature, wherein the user can communicate with family and friends that parents or the caregivers approve of. The parents can set up and manage the child`s Messenger Kids account through their own Facebook account. 

The previous year, over 100 child health experts wrote an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with an appeal to bring down the Messenger Kids application. The authors stated that how the application raises concern about social media use affects the well being of adolescents, as it is irresponsible to hand over young children using a Facebook product. 

Post facing a flak from lawmakers, Facebook has decided to pull out of building its 'LOL' application. The application was intended to let children share and post humorous meme content. The social media giant thereafter shifted its focus on Messenger Kids service.