Is Messenger safe for kids? An Australian parent's guide
By Ray & Renie Robinson, Aunty Bea · Updated June 2026
Facebook Messenger is one of the most widely used messaging apps in Australia — and it is explicitly
exempt from Australia's under-16 social media ban. That exemption makes sense for a communications tool,
but it also means Messenger is an open channel with few built-in safeguards. Here is what parents need to know.
Is Messenger covered by Australia's social media ban?
No. Australia's under-16 social media ban targets
social media platforms — Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and seven others. Messaging and calling apps are
explicitly exempt. The ban doesn't cover Messenger,
WhatsApp, Discord or similar apps, so there is no legal barrier to children of any age using them.
What Messenger actually is
Messenger started as Facebook's chat feature. It is now a standalone app that lets users send messages,
make voice and video calls, share photos and videos, and join group chats. It is tied to a Facebook account
but can be used without the main Facebook app installed.
In 2023, Meta rolled out end-to-end encryption by default for personal chats, meaning messages are
private by design — even Meta cannot read them. This is good for privacy and difficult for parents.
The real risks for children
Messenger's risks are not about the platform's content — they are about who can reach your child and how.
Stranger contact via message requests. By default, anyone with a Facebook account can send
a message request. A child's account does not need to be public for this to happen. Strangers use this
to initiate contact gradually — a pattern covered in detail in our guide on
online grooming warning signs.
Group chats beyond the friend circle. Children are frequently added to group chats by friends,
which can include people they have never met. Group chat content is not end-to-end encrypted in the same
way personal chats are.
No parental controls built in. Standard Messenger has no parent-managed contact approval,
no content filters and no activity reports for parents.
Disappearing messages. Messenger has a "vanish mode" where messages disappear after being seen.
This feature is opt-in but teenagers often use it for conversations they want to hide.
In-app payments. Messenger includes a payments feature. Scammers sometimes use it to
solicit money from teenagers posing as friends.
Messenger Kids — the safer alternative for younger children
Meta offers a separate app called Messenger Kids for children under 13. It is parent-controlled:
every contact must be approved by a parent before a child can message them. There are no ads, no in-app
purchases and no ability for strangers to reach the child. If your child is under 13, Messenger Kids is
a meaningful safer alternative to standard Messenger.
Practical steps for parents
Check the message request settings. In Messenger settings, change who can send message
requests from "Everyone" to "Friends of friends" or "Friends only". This is the single highest-impact
change you can make.
Review the contact list together. Ask your child to show you their Messenger contacts.
If there are people neither of you recognise, that is a conversation worth having.
Talk about group chats. Explain that being added to a group chat by a friend doesn't mean
everyone in that group is trustworthy. Teach them they can leave a group chat at any time.
Disable vanish mode. Go to your child's Messenger privacy settings and check if vanish mode
is on. While you cannot disable it permanently, knowing it exists opens the conversation.
For under-13s: use Messenger Kids instead. Set up Messenger Kids and manage the contact
list yourself. It removes almost all of the risks outlined above.
Cross-links: other exempt apps worth knowing
Messenger is not the only messaging app exempt from the ban. Our guides on
WhatsApp and
Discord cover similar risks in those apps.
For gaming platforms also exempt from the ban, see our guides on
Fortnite,
Minecraft and
Roblox.
A note from us
We are parents ourselves. Messenger was where our kids' group chats moved after the ban. The conversations
about who is in those groups, and what gets shared there, are harder than conversations about Instagram.
Aunty Bea gives us the signals to know when those conversations are needed — without reading the messages themselves.
Frequently asked questions
No. Messenger is a messaging and calling app, which is explicitly exempt from Australia's under-16 social media ban. Kids can legally use it.
Yes, by default. Anyone with a Facebook account can send a message request. Tightening privacy settings so only friends-of-friends can send message requests significantly reduces this risk.
Yes — as of 2023, Messenger rolled out end-to-end encryption by default for personal chats. Group chats have limited encryption. This means even Meta cannot read personal messages.
Messenger requires users to be 13 or older, in line with Facebook's general minimum age policy. There is no Australian law preventing under-16s from using it.
No. Messenger Kids is a separate, parent-controlled app designed for children under 13. It requires parent approval for all contacts. Standard Messenger has no such controls.
Not directly — end-to-end encryption means messages are private by design. Aunty Bea monitors patterns and signals around app usage without reading private message content.
Messenger is one of many exempt apps where the real risks live after the ban. Aunty Bea helps you see
what matters — patterns and signals, never private messages.