INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — Facebook's Messenger Kids app touts "safer messaging and video chat" for children. The app requires parents to approve who their kids can communicate with on the app.
But a bug in the system meant parents lost that control when it came to the group chatting feature.
Tech news outlet The Verge reports Facebook has recently been alerting parents that their children may have been in group chats with people they do not know, who haven't been approved by parents.
Facebook confirmed the company sent a letter to parents of Messenger Kids users:
Hi [PARENT],
We found a technical error that allowed [CHILD]’s friend [FRIEND] to create a group chat with [CHILD] and one or more of [FRIEND]'s parent-approved friends. We want you to know that we've turned off this group chat and are making sure that group chats like this won’t be allowed in the future. If you have questions about Messenger Kids and online safety, please visit our Help Center and Messenger Kids parental controls. We'd also appreciate your feedback.
The flaw in the system allowed kids to be in group chats with not only approved friends, but also their friends' approved-friends. Of course, those mutual friends may not have been approved by every user's parents.
Facebook said the glitch affected a small number of group chats and those have since been turned off.
Facebook is currently facing a $5 billion fine from the FTC for privacy violations and mishandling user data.
