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Health Secretary Hits Out at Facebook's New App, Says 'Stay Away From My Kids' (theguardian.com)

Posted by msmash on from the stating-the-obvious dept.

Jeremy Hunt has publicly attacked Facebook for releasing a version of its Messenger app aimed at children, and called on the social media company to "stay away from my kids." From a report: The health secretary accused the company of "targeting younger children" after Facebook announced on Monday that it was conducting trials of an app called Messenger Kids in the US, which is designed to be used by pre-teens. He said the company was failing to act responsibly despite having assured the government that it would not target its service at children, who can only use the main social media website if they are over 13.

7 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. Be a parent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about you stop expecting everybody else in the world to do what you want them to do and instead be a parent to your child. Part of that is filtering and explaining the real world around them so as they grow so they don't end up as some special little snowflake thinking the world is responsible to be nice to them and not offer them things that may be detrimental to them.

    You need to teach them to make responsible choices and to do that you do need to be there and be a part of their lives, especially at that early age.

    1. Re:Be a parent by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I've long said the death of sane politics in the West is not the fault of liberals or conservatives, but parents.

      --
      Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
    2. Re:Be a parent by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've long said the death of sane politics in the West ...

      Can you point to a specific point in the past when politics were "sane"?

  2. when we have kids... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When we have kids, the rule will be:
    (1) No use of Facebook till they're grown up
    (2) No pictures/tagging of them on Facebook until the same age

    Why? Because children don't have enough knowledge to know whether they want to add their faces and identities to the largest corporate facial recognition database in the world.

    Not afraid of "predators", other than the corporate variety.

    1. Re:when we have kids... by tehcyder · · Score: 3, Informative

      When we have kids

      Translation: I have no fucking idea about how kids actually behave nowadays.

      --
      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  3. Re:Zee children, boss, zee children! by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Far more importantly, if you hook them early, you don't have to worry about them going to another social network.

    --
    Your ad here. Ask me how!
  4. Facebook confirmed for CREEPY AS FUCK by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously people how much more invasive creepy shit is the rest of the world going to put up with from Facebook before they say no mas! and walk away from it? Facebook does not enhance your life, 'connect' you with anyone in ways you can't do otherwise, or anything else good, all it does is creep on you, collect data from you to sell to other creepy companies, and otherwise encourage the absolute worst humanity has to offer to come out from under the rocks they've been hiding under. Enough already, let's kill Facebook.