Put Your Digital Citizenship Skills to the Test on Messenger Kids

• All four episodes of Pledge Planets, an in-app activity designed to help kids learn how to use the internet safely and practice making healthy decisions online, are available now.
• We developed the Messenger Kids Pledge and the Pledge Planets activities in close partnership with experts in online safety, child development and children’s media.

Digital citizenship is an important skill for kids to learn as they begin spending time online, and today we are launching the final episode of Pledge Planets, an interactive, in-app activity that will help kids learn and practice how to make healthy online decisions, stay safe and build resilience. 

Before kids start using Messenger Kids, they are introduced to the Messenger Kids Pledge—Be Kind, Be Respectful, Be Safe, Have Fun—to help shape what could be their first online messaging experience. Pledge Planets builds on these values, helping kids practice their digital citizenship skills in a relatable, fun and engaging way. 

Starting today, kids will be able to explore all four planets, each based on a different tenet of the Messenger Kids Pledge, and help characters navigate various social situations. By completing the games in each episode, kids will see that their kind, respectful, safe and fun actions have a big impact on those around them. 

Episode 1: Be Kind

Players are introduced to the owner of a sandwich shop who is having trouble interacting with customers. Through two games, kids will learn and practice how to act with kindness: 

• Rough Reviews: The sandwich shop has a website where customers can leave comments about their experiences. Players must help the owner read through the reviews and match the correct online response to each one. In doing so, kids will learn to recognize kind and unkind behavior and become familiar with tools like blocking and reporting. 
• Order Up: Customers approach the counter to order a sandwich. In building each one, players must select the emojis that best respond to the customer’s mood. This uses empathy to teach kids how to read and react to various emotional states of people online. 

Episode 2: Be Respectful

The second episode introduces players to DJ Dino, who needs help interacting with friends. These games help teach patience, and how to be thoughtful about what gets shared online. 

• Patience: DJ Dino is messaging friends and finds out he wasn’t invited to a party. To find out why, players must respond to the messages with friendly emojis. The longer players wait, the easier it gets to select the correct emoji response, which helps reinforce the importance of patience and being thoughtful in what gets shared online. 
• Crazy Dance Party: After DJ Dino realizes he missed the party invite, he decides to throw a party of his own. In this game, players must respond to the needs of the guests and select the music they like the best. 

Episode 3: Be Safe

Through two games, kids learn and practice how to respond to bad actors online, and how to keep personal information private. 

• Bad Speech Beach: Players are confronted by a group of bad guys and must decide whether to block, mute or report their behavior. Building on skills learned in Episode 1, this game helps teach kids the outcome of each action to help empower the real-life decision-making process. 
• Selfie Safety Patrol: Players meet a group of friends who are eager to share selfies online. But before they do, they need help identifying background objects that may be embarrassing or give away personal information.

Episode 4: Have Fun

In episode four, it’s time to celebrate! Players will have successfully helped their friends be kind, respectful and safe, and are now invited to have fun at Flashie’s party. 

• Emoji Pizza: No party is complete without pizza. In this game, players are invited to create and share a giant emoji pizza, topped with custom emojis that match how they feel.
• Flashie’s Party: Finally, it’s time to dance! By successfully mirroring Flashie’s dance moves, players can claim their spot as the party’s best dancer. 

The Messenger Kids Pledge and the Pledge Planets activities were developed in close partnership with Meta’s Youth Advisors, a group of experts in the fields of online safety, child development and children’s media who share their expertise, research and guidance to help us develop new products, features and policies for young people. 

To start practicing your digital citizenship skills, tap the “Explore” tab in Messenger Kids and select “Pledge Planets.” 

About Meta’s Youth Advisors

First convened in 2017, the Youth Advisors are a group of experts in the fields of online safety, child development and children’s media who share their expertise, research and guidance to help us develop new products, features, and policies for young people. We meet regularly with the group, which includes the Family Online Safety Institute, Digital Wellness Lab, MediaSmarts, Project Rockit and the Cyberbullying Research Center. We recently expanded this group to add new experts in privacy, youth development, psychology, parenting and youth media, and will continue expanding to include a diverse range of global perspectives. 

For more information about Messenger Kids, visit MessengerKids.com or follow our Facebook page for updates.