In light of an investigation from the Wall Street Journal that Facebook disagrees with, the company announced it will pause its project to create Instagram Kids (via CNN).
Instagram For Kids
Facebook had planned to create a version of its Instagram app specifically for kids under 13, dubbed Instagram Kids. This follows its Messenger Kids project. Instagram is toxic for teen girls, according to the investigation. Facebook is aware of this and not trying to improve its platforms.
Facebook continues to deny the report while simultaneously pausing the child’s version of Instagram. On Monday, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, wrote:
We firmly believe that it’s better for parents to have the option to give their children access to a version of Instagram that is designed for them — where parents can supervise and control their experience — than relying on an app’s ability to verify the age of kids who are too young to have an ID.
While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we’ve decided to pause this project. This will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today.
This move comes before a hearing in the U.S. Senate titled “Protecting Kids Online: Facebook, Instagram, and Mental Health Harms” on Thursday, September 30. It aims to cover Facebook’s research into the impact of its apps on young audiences, its actions to address threats to these users, and policy considerations to safeguard kids online.