MXit introduces new chatroom blocking function

POPULAR yet often criticized cellphone-based networking medium, MXit, is committed to protecting young and vulnerable children.

This is according to chief executive officer, Herman Heunis, following MXit’s introduction of a new chatroom blocking function for parents to prevent youngsters unintentionally giving out personal information that may endanger their safety.

“Parents have shared their concerns with us, and while we believe that the majority of our chatroom users are safety-conscious, we want to give parents of young users the extra control they are looking for.

“This block functionality allows parents to restrict access to MXit chatrooms by following a few simple steps and setting up a password on their child’s phone. This is to prevent young children who do not have the emotional maturity to responsibly use chatrooms from accessing them,” Heunis said.

Launched last Friday, the new blocking functionality trial period will run until the end of the holidays after which its success and effectiveness will be reviewed.

“MXit has taken great care to put safety measures in place to protect vulnerable users. These include age restrictions, moderation, profanity filters and a process to report abuse. This blocking functionality now allows for greater parental control over young MXit users when education is not considered to be enough,” said Heunis.

He added, “We would like to make it clear to parents that this initiative does not mean they have no further responsibility for protecting their children. Giving a phone to a youngster with internet access requires a parent to set the relevant rules and we have taken care to communicate what we think these should be.”

MXit is a next generation Mobile Instant Messenger that connects users using both instant messaging and social networking.
It has gained popularity particularly among youngsters in South Africa.