Jeremy Hunt warns Facebook 'stay away from my kids' over app for children

Jeremy Hunt has hit out at social media giant Facebook
PA
Patrick Grafton-Green5 December 2017

Jeremy Hunt has warned Facebook to “stay away from my kids” after the social media giant launched a new app for children.

Facebook announced this week it is trialling a new version of its popular Messenger app for children under the age of 13.

Messenger Kids, which is being trialled in the United States, is aimed at children who cannot yet have their own accounts under Facebook's rules.

The Health Secretary took to Twitter to write about his disappointment, telling the tech company to "act responsibly".

He wrote: "Not sure this is the right direction at all.

"Facebook told me they would come back with ideas to PREVENT underage use of their product, but instead they are actively targeting younger children.

"Stay away from my kids please Facebook and act responsibly!"

According to Facebook, Messenger Kids is "a new app that makes it easier for kids to safely video chat and message with family and friends when they can’t be together in person".

The social network said they created the product in response to "a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people they love but also has the level of control parents want".

The app lives on the child's tablet or smartphone but has a number of parental controls including contact approval and blocking, reporting and account deletion.

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