diff --git a/Libraries/BatchedBridge/MessageQueue.js b/Libraries/BatchedBridge/MessageQueue.js
index 9d3b8c6d66914a..4309de35519cf6 100644
--- a/Libraries/BatchedBridge/MessageQueue.js
+++ b/Libraries/BatchedBridge/MessageQueue.js
@@ -215,8 +215,40 @@ class MessageQueue {
     this._queue[METHOD_IDS].push(methodID);
 
     if (__DEV__) {
-      // Any params sent over the bridge should be encodable as JSON
-      JSON.stringify(params);
+      // Validate that parameters passed over the bridge are
+      // folly-convertible.  As a special case, if a prop value is a
+      // function it is permitted here, and special-cased in the
+      // conversion.
+      const isValidArgument = val => {
+        const t = typeof val;
+        if (
+          t === 'undefined' ||
+          t === 'null' ||
+          t === 'boolean' ||
+          t === 'number' ||
+          t === 'string'
+        ) {
+          return true;
+        }
+        if (t === 'function' || t !== 'object') {
+          return false;
+        }
+        if (Array.isArray(val)) {
+          return val.every(isValidArgument);
+        }
+        for (const k in val) {
+          if (typeof val[k] !== 'function' && !isValidArgument(val[k])) {
+            return false;
+          }
+        }
+        return true;
+      };
+
+      invariant(
+        isValidArgument(params),
+        '%s is not usable as a native method argument',
+        params,
+      );
 
       // The params object should not be mutated after being queued
       deepFreezeAndThrowOnMutationInDev((params: any));