MESSAGING
Parental Controls for Messenger Kids
A separate messaging and video-call app for under-13s, fully controlled by a parent through a dashboard in the Facebook app.
THE 30-SECOND OVERVIEW
What You Need to Know About Messenger Kids
Messenger Kids is a standalone app for children under 13, for text, voice and video chat with contacts a parent approves. It is managed through a parent's Facebook account, and creating it does not create a Facebook account for the child. There are no ads and no in-app purchases.
Unlike a teen account, this is built for full parental control: you approve every contact, and you can see and download the messages while your child cannot delete them. The main decisions are who they can talk to, and how much of the friending you keep in your own hands.
SET-UP GUIDANCE
👉 Do This First
Parental controls can feel overwhelming at the start. We recommend setting up these foundations first before anything else.
Set Up the Account and Open Your Parent Dashboard
What it does: Install Messenger Kids on your child's device and sign in with your Facebook account to create their profile, which stays separate from Facebook. You manage everything from the Parent Dashboard in your own Facebook app.
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/290834031507763
Set How Friending Works
What it does: Choose whether you approve every contact yourself, or let your child add and remove contacts with you notified and able to override any new connection. For younger children, keeping approval in your hands is the safer default.
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/2561872534065550?helpref=faq_content
🛠️ Customise For Your Family
Fine tune what your child can do in the app with these settings. We recommend reviewing these settings periodically and adjusting them to match your child's growth.
Approve the Contact List
What it does: Add trusted family and friends, and approve trusted adults who can help connect your child with other children. Your child can only chat with people on this list, and you can remove anyone at any time.
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/732544310273905/?helpref=uf_share
Set Sleep Mode Hours
What it does: Choose the days and times the app can be used, so it is unavailable overnight or during school and mealtimes.
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/452051708561294/?helpref=uf_share
Review Activity and Blocked Contacts
What it does: The dashboard shows recent chats and the images and videos sent and received, plus a log of who your child has blocked or reported.
Learn more: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/2201873276779666/?helpref=uf_share
⚠️ What These Controls Won't Do
It is only as closed as the contact list. Safety rests on who gets approved, so a contact added through a group chat becomes someone your child can then message one to one.
Children graduate from it. Around 13, children move to a standard Messenger or Facebook Teen Account, which works very differently, so the habits you build here matter for later.
Things to Watch Out For:
Requests to add contacts you do not recognise.
Your child asking to move to a "grown-up" account early.
Discomfort after chats with a particular contact.
Attempts to use the app outside agreed hours.
LAST UPDATED: JULY 2026
Settings and features change often, so please visit the app's official sources for the latest updates. The links provided are external sources, please note that we do not assume responsibility for the content found on these external links.