儿童专家抵制脸谱网的Kids Messenger

Child Experts Protest Facebook's Kids Messenger App

Child development experts are urging Facebook to remove its new messaging app designed for kids.

In a letter sent recently to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the group of experts argue that young children are not ready to have social media accounts or online relationships.

Facebook launched the free Messenger Kids app in December. The app is meant for children under the age of 13. Facebook says the app provides a way for children to chat with family members as well as friends that their parents have approved.

The app does not give children their own Facebook or Messenger accounts. Instead, it is connected to a child’s parent’s account.

Facebook has said the app fills “a need for a messaging app that lets kids connect with people they love but also has the level of control parents want.”

But critics say the app is a way for Facebook to bring in younger users before they choose another popular social media messaging service, such as Snapchat. And they have protested Facebook’s claim that the app fills a need.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is based in Boston, Massachusetts. It leads a group of 100 experts, activists¹ and parenting organizations. The group includes mental health professionals, pediatricians, educators and the children’s music singer Raffi Cavoukian.

The group wrote, “Messenger Kids is not responding to a need – it is creating one…It appeals primarily to children who otherwise would not have their own social media accounts.

The letter also criticized Facebook for “targeting younger children.”

Facebook said on Monday that the app “helps parents and children to chat in a safer way.” It also said that parents are “always in control” of their kids’ activity. Facebook added that “there is no advertising² in Messenger Kids.”

App Annie is a company that studies app information. It said Messenger Kids has been downloaded about 80,000 times on Apple’s iOS devices. The app has remained in the top 40 most popular kids’ apps since its December 4 launch. That is not as high as observers had expected.

Young children not ready for Facebook

Many technology experts have questioned the effects of smartphones and social media on people’s physical and mental health -- at any age. Sean Parker, Facebook’s first president, said late last year that the social networking site abuses “vulnerability in human psychology³” to make users dependent. Former Facebook employees and investors⁴ have made similar criticisms.

Many children under 13 already use Facebook. Many of them also use other platforms that target younger people. This includes Instagram and Snapchat, even though these companies require users to be at least 13 years old. Those rules are based on a federal law that does not let internet companies collect personal information on children without their parents’ permission.

Some companies have offered parental⁵ controls as a way of preventing young children from using their platforms. But Facebook’s new kid-centered app, with its animations⁷ and emojis, seems to be for a very young audience, says Josh Golin. He is executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

“It looks like something that would appeal to a 6-year-old or 7-year-old,” Golin said.

Facebook said when it launched Messenger Kids that the app would not show advertisements or collect marketing⁸ information. It also said it would not transfer users to the regular Messenger or Facebook once they are old enough. But the company did say it may give the Kids Messenger users the choice to move their contacts to the regular Messenger later.

University of Michigan developmental behavioral pediatrician Jenny Radesky co-signed the group letter. She said she has never met a parent who wanted their child to begin using social media at an earlier age.

She said she believes that Facebook created the app to attract younger users. That is troubling, she said; younger children have not yet developed certain mental skills. Such skills help them control their thoughts and actions and, in Radesky’s words, “allow them to realize when persuasive⁹ technology design might be manipulating them.”

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

app - n. a computer program that performs a special function?

animation⁶ - n. a way of making a movie by using a series of drawings, computer graphics¹⁰, or photographs of objects that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement?

emoji - n. a small digital image or icon¹¹ used to express an idea, emotion, etc., in electronic communication.?

manipulate - v. to deal with or control (someone or something) in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way?

pediatrician - n. a doctor who treats babies and children?

platform - n. a program or set of programs that controls the way a computer works and runs other programs?

psychology - n. the science or study of the mind and behavior?

vulnerability - n. ways that someone is easily hurt or harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

3 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

6 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

7 animations   

n.生气( animation的名词复数 )；兴奋；动画片；（指电影、录像、电脑游戏的）动画制作

参考例句：

• You'll see your team cheerleaders and mascot performing new animations as well. 你会看到啦啦队队长跟吉祥物也都会有全新的动作。 来自互联网
• Ability to create simple movie and animations using graphic & multimedia software. 能够用平面和多媒体软件制作简单的电影及动画。 来自互联网

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

10 graphics   

n.制图法，制图学；图形显示

参考例句：

• You've leveraged your graphics experience into the video area.你们把图形设计业务的经验运用到录像业务中去。
• Improved graphics took computer games into a new era.经改进的制图技术将电脑游戏带进了一个新时代。

11 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。