What it is
Messenger is the chat app tied to a Facebook account. People use it for texts, photos, calls, and group chats. A child can also get message requests from people who are not friends.
Disappearing messages and view-once photos mean a conversation can vanish. Marketplace chats and group invites are other ways a stranger reaches a child who already has an account.
What to look out for
- Message requests from people they have not met.
- View-once photos and disappearing chats.
- A new friend who wants to leave Messenger for a more private app.
- Being added to large group chats.
- A second account that is not the one you helped set up.
Ways to stay safe
These steps are for Messenger. The house rules still apply on every app.
- Turn on message-request review and keep the account in your name if they are young.
- Set stories and active status so strangers cannot browse them.
- Check the request folder with them the first few times, then agree how often you will look.
- Keep the app-store password if they are not old enough for a Facebook account at all.
In the news
Published reports you can read yourself. A headline is the proof, not a set of instructions, and this page does not repeat graphic detail.
- Online grooming crimes against children increase by 89% in six years Where police named the app: Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook and Messenger, Instagram, and Kik.
A way to start the conversation
You can say: "A request from a stranger is not a friend. If someone you do not know sends a photo that disappears, you can tell me without getting in trouble. We will look at it together."
Video
Parent briefing
A short video for this guide can be added by an editor. Until then, the written briefing above is the one to use.