Messenger Kids: How It Works and Where It's Available

Messenger Kids lets children message and video call family and approved friends without having their own Facebook account. The parent stays in charge: you set the account up, decide how friends are added, and can switch the app off at bedtime. Before you get excited, check one thing, because it saves a lot of fruitless searching in the app store. It's only available in selected countries, and several big ones aren't on the list.

Where Messenger Kids is available

Meta says Messenger Kids is available in select regions for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices, from the App Store, Google Play or the Amazon Appstore. Its location list includes the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and France aren't on it, which is why parents there can't find the app in their store.

How Messenger Kids works

• Parents set up and manage the child's account using their own Facebook account.
• Parents supervise who becomes a friend.
• Parents message and video chat with their child from their normal Messenger app.
• Family and friends use their existing Messenger accounts to talk to the child.
• Children can block or report anyone who upsets them.

How to set up Messenger Kids

1. Download Messenger Kids on your child's device.
2. On Facebook, log in and click Messenger Kids in the left menu. If it's not there, click See more.
3. Under Accounts you manage, click Create account for child.
4. Enter your child's first name, last name and birthday, then click Next.
5. Click Create Account, then sign in on your child's device.

Control who your child can talk to

This is the most important setting. In the Parent Dashboard on Facebook, open Messenger Kids, click your child's name, then Controls and Friending. You get two choices:

Setting	What it means
My child can choose friends	Your child adds and removes friends, and you're notified every time
Only I can choose friends	New contacts can only be added or removed from the Parent Dashboard

If another parent or guardian manages the account too, they can also edit the friend list, and every parent is notified when the friending setting changes. For younger children I'd start with Only I can choose friends and loosen it as they get older.

Set a bedtime with sleep mode

Sleep mode switches the app off at times you choose, so it can't be used after bedtime or during school hours.

1. On Facebook, click Messenger Kids in the left menu.
2. Click Controls, then Sleep mode.
3. Turn it on for During the week or On Weekends, and set start and stop times.
4. Click Save.

Meta notes the sleep mode settings stay in place until you change them, so you set them once and forget.

Messenger Kids vs the standard app

	Messenger Kids	Regular Messenger
Account	Created and managed by a parent	Needs the child's own account
Who they talk to	Approved friends and family	Anyone who can find them
Bedtime controls	Sleep mode built in	Relies on phone settings
Blocking and reporting	Built in for the child	Available to every user

Adding a second parent or guardian

If you share parenting, both adults can manage the account. Meta says another parent or guardian managing your child's account can also edit their friend list, and that every parent is notified when the friending setting changes. That makes it easy to stay on the same page, but agree the rules between you first, so one parent isn't approving friends the other has turned down.

What to talk about with your child

• Who they're allowed to add and why you approve friends together.
• What to do if someone says something unkind: block, report and tell you.
• That messages and calls with family are fine, but secrets with adults they don't know are not.
• When sleep mode starts, so it isn't a surprise.

Can't find Messenger Kids?

• Your country may not be on Meta's list. The UK, Ireland, Germany and France aren't.
• On Facebook, the Messenger Kids link hides under See more in the left menu.
• Your child's device must be an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android device.

If you're not in a supported country, look at the parental controls on the apps your child already uses instead. My guide to what the Messenger app is explains the grown-up version, and how to mute someone on Messenger covers the quieter settings parents use themselves.

My verdict

If you're in a supported country, Messenger Kids is one of the gentler ways to let a child keep in touch with family. Set friending to Only I can choose friends to begin with, switch on sleep mode, and talk to your child about blocking and reporting. If you're in the UK, it isn't available, so don't download lookalike apps claiming to be it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Messenger Kids?

A messaging and video chat app for children, set up and managed by a parent through their own Facebook account.

Is Messenger Kids available in the UK?

No. The United Kingdom isn't on Meta's list of locations where Messenger Kids is available.

How do I set up Messenger Kids?

On Facebook, click Messenger Kids in the left menu, choose Create account for child, enter your child's details and click Create Account.

Can I control who my child talks to on Messenger Kids?

Yes. In the Parent Dashboard, set Friending to Only I can choose friends, or let your child choose with you notified every time.

Can I stop my child using Messenger Kids at night?

Yes. Sleep mode lets you set times during the week and at weekends when the app can't be used.