MESSGENGER KIDS

Role: Manager + Content Designer

The opportunity: At the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, Messenger Kids saw explosive growth—user activity doubled in a single week. Parents were looking for safe, enriching ways to keep kids connected, while educators and health officials scrambled to teach the basics of pandemic hygiene. We saw a critical need: Could we design a game that was fun for kids, trusted by parents, and reinforced good hygiene habits—all during a moment of global uncertainty?

The solution: We launched Healthy Habits, an interactive game inside the Messenger Kids app designed to help children build everyday hygiene skills—like handwashing, sneezing into elbows, and staying germ-free—in a way that felt engaging, playful, and age-appropriate. Working closely with art, design, and sound teams, we crafted a vibrant world kids would want to spend time in. Every detail—from the character design to the green goo (yes, we rethought that too)—was thoughtfully iterated through a Responsible Design lens, ensuring the experience was sensitive to the emotional climate of the pandemic.

Key creative and strategic choices included:

  • Educational gameplay disguised as fun challenges

  • Inclusive storylines to reflect a diverse user base

  • Strategic naming and copy that allowed the game to live on as an evergreen experience—not just a pandemic one

The impact: Healthy Habits helped turn serious public health behaviors into kid-friendly routines—with real reach and relevance:

  • Part of a 40% increase in time spent in Messenger Kids Games during early lockdown

  • Helped contribute to the app’s 6.5 million+ downloads in 2020 alone

  • Named by parenting groups and education blogs as a top digital tool for families during the pandemic

  • Created a safe, empowering experience for kids—when they needed it most

Why it matters: Hygiene education doesn’t come naturally to kids—but it’s never been more important. Healthy Habits showed that serious topics can be made accessible through thoughtful, playful design. It wasn’t just about staying safe—it was about helping kids feel in control, connected, and confident in a world that had suddenly changed.