Messenger: Technical error in Kids app

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

Facebook has just proved that critics and privacy advocates were right to question whether the social network could be trusted to run an app aimed at children younger than 13. The app mistakenly allowed thousands of children to exchange messages with people who had not been approved by their parents, contrary to the app's rules, according to a report by The Verge. Due to a "technical error," children were able to participate in group chats even when there were members who had not been previously approved by their parents. One of Messenger Kids' safety features requires that parents pre-approve friends who are allowed to message their children.


Pinterest rolls out a self-help tool

Pinterest is rolling out a new set of self-help tools which are designed to assist users who are dealing with mental health issues by offering quick exercises that they can follow along with, right from the app. Pinterest says that its users conduct "millions of searches" related to emotional health on the platform every year, which is what prompted this new initiative. Whenever a user clicks on one of the listed resources, they'll be given a guided, swipeable collection of steps to take to go through each exercise. Mental health has rightfully become a key focus for social media apps in recent times, with various reports showing that social media usage itself can be linked to psychological harm. Aside from the direct impacts, social platforms also now have huge reach, giving them increased capacity to help those in need – particularly vulnerable people who may feel alone, and may be using social apps as a key means to connect.


Facebook to change ad format soon

Over on the Facebook Business blog, The Social Network has announced that – starting from August 19th – mobile News Feed ads will be compressed in order to "match the look and feel of the new Face-book design intro-duced earlier this year". Fewer lines of primary text will show on mobile news feed and maximum media height for photos and videos will reduce to 4:5 on the app. The change, in this sense, is largely related to establishing more presentation uniformity across Instagram and Facebook, in order to maximize cross-promotional potential.

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