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Facebook is taking a break from development of a children’s version of Instagram for children under 13 to address emerging concerns about the vulnerability of young users.
“I still firmly believe that creating a version of Instagram that is designed to be safe for tweens is a good thing, but we want to take the time to talk to parents, researchers, and safety experts and get more consensus on how to move forward. Adam Mosseri, president of Instagram, said. He said in an interview with NBC’s “Today” program on Monday.
The announcement comes after a string of research reports from The Wall Street Journal that Facebook is aware that Instagram use by some teenage girls is causing mental health problems and anxiety.
Yet the development of Instagram for a younger audience was met with broader opposition almost immediately.
In March, Facebook announced the development of an Instagram Kids app, saying it was “exploring a parent-controlled experience.” Two months later, a bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to abandon the project, citing the best interests of the children.
They spoke of the escalating cyberbullying, possible vulnerability to online predators, and what they called Facebook’s “checkered record” of protecting children on its platforms. Facebook faced similar criticism in 2017 when it launched its Messenger Kids app, which was touted as a way for kids to chat with family members and parent-approved friends.
Josh Golin, executive director of Fairplay, a digital advocacy group for children, urged the company on Monday to permanently pull the plug on the app.
“We urge Facebook to use this ‘pause’ to effectively engage with independent child development experts who understand how Instagram can undermine the well-being of young children,” it said in a prepared statement.
Mosseri said on Monday that the company believes it’s better to have a specific platform for age-appropriate content for kids under 13, and other companies like TikTok and YouTube have versions of apps for that age group.
In a blog post, he said it’s better to have a version of Instagram where parents can moderate and control their experience, rather than relying on the company’s ability to verify if kids are old enough to use the app.
Mosseri said Instagram for kids is for those 10 to 12 years old, not younger. It will require parental consent to participate, be ad-free, and include age-appropriate content and features. Parents will be able to control the time their children spend in the app, control who can message them, who can follow them, and who can follow them.
While work on Instagram Kids is paused, the company will expand optional parental supervision tools to accounts for teens 13 and older. Mosseri said more details about these vehicles will be announced in the coming months.
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AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien contributed to this report.
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