A Flaw In Facebook Messenger Kids Allowed Group Chats With Unapproved Contacts

Facebook’s chat app for children had a flaw that would put most parents who allow their children to use that specific app to feel uneasy about just how secure their kids are.

Facebook recently sent notices to parents of kids who use the “kid-friendly” messaging service notifying them of a “technical error”:

We found a technical error that allowed [CHILD]’s friend [FRIEND] to create a group chat with [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.
Facebook

Considering that the Kids platform is supposed to only allow children to contact users approved by their parents, this is a significant flaw that defeats the purpose of the app. Thankfully, Facebook has acknowledged and pledged to fix the issue.

GSM Arena states that the issue stemmed from ” complexity of permissions when it comes to group chats. ” Whilst a parent may have approved their child to speak to a cousin on the platform when the cousin adds your child to a group he/she will now communicate with people who haven’t been approved.