Reviews Mixed for Facebook's Trial Kid Messenger App

Facebook previewed a kids messaging app to mixed reviews Monday. The stand-alone app, Messenger Kids, can be controlled from a parent's Facebook account and would let children video chat. Common Sense Media CEO James Steyer said the service lacks "clear policies about data collection" and opens questions of platform trustworthiness. The Center for Digital Democracy blogged guarded support, saying "additional safeguards are necessary to protect young people from powerful new forms of commercial surveillance in the Big Data and Internet-of-things era."