International group calls on Facebook to scrap Messenger Kids February 1, 2018

Child development experts and advocates are urging Facebook to discontinue Messenger Kids, its new messaging app aimed at children in the 6-12 age group.  Led by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), the group of over 100 people, which includes psychiatrists, pediatricians and educators, sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The group says that the app is likely to undermine healthy childhood development for preschool and elementary-school-aged kids by increasing the amount of time they spend with digital devices. They say that their concern is backed by recent studies that link increased depression, poor sleeping habits, and unhealthy body image in children and teens with higher use of social media and digital devices.

More information and an online petition can be found on the CCFC website