Facebook Messenger update lets parents see who their children are talking to and pictures they have sent

Tool lets parents see a wide variety of data about how their children are communicating

The Facebook logo is displayed during the F8 Facebook Developers conference on April 30, 2019 in San Jose, California (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Facebook will now let parents see who their children are chatting with.

An update to the Messenger service gives guardians a vast amount of new data and controls over who their children are speaking to.

They include a dashboard that will show who their children are talking to and how often, as well as the ability to look at photos and videos that are being passed around in chats. They also have the power to intervene, with new features that allow parents to report those photos, for instance.

The enhancements come after concerns were raised about the app last year, when a flaw on Messenger Kids meant children could have come into contact with people not approved by their parents.

The social network has announced several tools for its Messenger Kids platform, which first launched in 2017 as a more child-friendly way to communicate aimed at under-13s, controlled from a parent's main Facebook account.

If the young user has blocked or unblocked anyone, parents can access a full list, on top of the notification they already receive whenever a child blocks or reports someone.

In a bid to better educate under-13s, Facebook said it will start using "kid-appropriate language" to explain how their information is used and shared.

The social network reiterated that its existing protections, such as not using children's data from the app for advertising purposes, will remain unchanged.

"These updates are part of our ongoing efforts to provide more transparency and help people better understand how our services work," said Messenger product manager Morgan Brown.

"Parents will have 90 days to review and accept the new privacy policy and we strongly encourage them to review the updates with their kids."

Additional reporting by Press Association