Last Monday we learned that even the older generations are catching on to the tech craze. But what about the younger ones?
With technology’s growing popularity and accessibility, it has now become commonplace for most youngsters to start using iPads and cellphones from a very young age. And although most child development specialists would agree that giving a child a tablet to quiet them down is not actually beneficial for their cognitive development, and in fact can be very detrimental to their future social skills, many parents looking for a quick fix to their child’s tantrum resort to technology.
Because children are using phones at a younger age, more applications are being designed especially for kids. While most social media sites and apps require a minimum age requirement, Monster Messenger, a new app by French group EduPad, is targeted to children under 14 years of age.
Monster Messenger is an instant messenger application very similar to WhatsApp, but with a very different audience. Its goal is to provide a safe, anti-harassment service to children and families, while always keeping the child’s safety in mind. Children can use the app to talk to friends, as well as parents and family members.
The application gives parents control over who their children talk to, allowing them to accept or decline conversation requests, so no one can contact their child without them knowing. Parents can also block contacts they see unfit and children have to option of reporting anything they find inappropriate or potentially dangerous. But even though parents have control over their children’s contacts, just as they would have control over who their children spend time with in real life, their child’s conversations are completely private, also like in real life. This is because children’s privacy is very important to the creators of the app.
Other than sending messages, the application includes many features including sending photos, audio, stickers, emojis, files and videos. The app also allows children to draw pictures to send to friends and family.
Monster Messenger is completely free, as well as ad-free. It is currently available for iPhone and iPad and is coming soon to Google Play for Android.
