Speaking at the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles this Thursday, David Marcus – the Facebook Vice President of Messaging Products – has spoken about the amount of backlash the brand is getting on the back of launching an instant messaging platform for kids.
You will recall that sometimes in December of last year, Facebook rolled out the Messenger for Kids application. According to them, this would serve the needs of kids aged 6 – 12.
Since its launch, some have appreciated the genius behind this decision. However, that group would not be as much as those who are kicking against it. For many, this is too early a time for kids to make an entry into the world of social media and constant instant messaging.
Marcus does not see anything wrong with the initiative though, going on to claim that
Families will be better off because it exists. I firmly believe it is a good product.
Defending the choice of product launch, Marcus explains that the idea of the application was to include young children in the family into family group chats. For that reason, the application would not function as a social media outlet as we have come to know it.
Apparently, he is one happier parent since the launch of the application.
“My daughter uses it on a daily basis now. It has enabled me to be more in touch with her” was his comment on the subject.
Leaving Messenger for Kids to rest, Marcus also addressed how he would not want the app to become used like email. While it was becoming increasingly important for businesses to keep in touch with their customers, he would appreciate if the businesses kept things t the customers being the first to engage/ start the conversation.
All this is coming after he addressed the issue of banning ads on cryptocurrencies, binary options and such other financial cases that might be fraudulent on the application. This is ironic since Marcus is one of the directors over at Coinbase.
