VOA慢速英语--Facebook Opens to Children Under 13 for Messaging

 

For the first time, Facebook is opening its service to children under age 13.

The social media giant has launched a new app allowing young children to send messages through Facebook.

The free service, called Messenger Kids, must be activated¹ by the child’s parents. Parents can then create a profile for the child as an extension of their own Facebook account. Parents must approve all requests before people can connect with the child.

Children aged² 6-12 are allowed to use Messenger Kids, which is currently only available for users in the United States. The app has so far only been released for Apple’s iOS operating system, for use on iPads, iPhones and the iPod touch. More devices will be added in the future.

The app allows children to send photos, videos and text messages and make video calls. Colorful pictures, drawings and sounds can be added to messages.

Facebook does not allow children under age 13 to create their own Facebook accounts. However, experts estimate millions of children under 13 may already be on Facebook after using false information to sign up.

Facebook says it created Messenger Kids to fill a need for a messaging app for children that gives parents full control. The company said it believes the new app will provide a “fun, safer solution” for children to communicate with family and friends.

Facebook said it developed the app after speaking with thousands of parents, major parental³ groups and child development experts.

Children and parents can block any contacts at any time. Children can report bullying⁴ or any unwanted communication in the app. When a child makes a report, the parents are contacted as well. Messages do not disappear and cannot be hidden by children.

Facebook said Messenger Kids will not show advertisements or collect information for marketing⁵ purposes. U.S. child privacy laws restrict advertising⁶ and ban online services from collecting personal information on children under 13 without parental approval.

The company also said it would not automatically move users to the regular Messenger app or Facebook service after they turn 13.

Some individuals and groups have expressed concerns about the new app and questioned Facebook’s true intentions for opening the service up to young users.

James Steyer heads the not-for-profit group Common Sense, which seeks to promote safe technology and media for children. He says the idea of giving parents control over Messenger Kids is good.

But, he said it remains⁷ to be seen whether the app will continue to stay ad-free. He also wonders whether the parents of child users will receive ads based on the new service.

“Why should parents simply trust that Facebook is acting⁸ in the best interest of kids?” Steyer said in a statement. “We encourage Facebook to clarify their policies from the start so that it is perfectly⁹ clear what parents are signing up for.”

The Center for Digital Democracy praised Facebook for creating a “walled garden” approach to the new messenger service. The steps taken show that Facebook is taking “a leadership role in developing responsible corporate¹⁰ practices that could be the basis for industry-wide guidelines,” the group said in a statement.

But the group added that it is still too early to fully¹¹ understand the effects such technology will have on young people’s psychological and social development. It urged parents, educators and company officials to closely monitor such services as they grow and to make changes as needed.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

account – n. an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company

bullying – n. the mistreatment or abuse of someone by a stronger or more powerful individual

encourage – v. tell or advise to do something

clarify – v. make something easier to understand through explanation

psychological – adj. of or relating to the mind

1 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 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。

4 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 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。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。