When children see their parents using Facebook and Facebook Messenger, it is understandable that they would like to get involved too. But, of course, there are concerns about letting children have access to social media, and that's why there are age limits in place. But with Messenger Kids, Facebook has created an app that can be used by children to chat with friends and family, while parents have control over who they are able to connect to, as well as the ability to monitor chats to ensure that everything is OK.

Right from the start, parents are given control over Messenger Kids. It is the parent that needs to download the app, and it will be linked to their own Facebook account. Having authenticated the app on a child's phone or tablet, the parent can then create an account for their child and use the Parent Dashboard to monitor and control activity.

Once up and running, parents have a lot of options to work with. It is possible to see chat history, and also who your child is chatting with, and how often. You can also see a record of images that are sent and received, and there is also the option of deleting and reporting any which are deemed to be inappropriate. There's a remote log out option and the ability to download everything relating to your child's account, including full message logs and contact details.

Parents can also manage their kids' list of contacts and set time restrictions so prevent use at bedtime, or just to stop chatting sucking up too much time throughout the day. Facebook has also created a dedicated web page for Messenger Kids which includes lots of handy resources and tutorials for parents.

From the child's point of view, Facebook has made it very easy to report contact and block users, and if they take advantage of either of these options, you'll be notified. Just like the main Facebook Messenger app, there are fun filters and effects to liven up video chats, as well as stickers, GIFs and emojis. The app is compatible with Facebook Messenger, so kids are able to chat with older friends and family who are using it