Instagram Kids put on hold; Facebook to consult parents, experts

Instagram is pausing work on the development of Instagram Kids in order to work with parents, experts and policymakers to demonstrate its value and need. This announcement comes after the Wall Street Journal published an investigative article criticising Facebook. They reported that Facebook was aware that the use of Instagram by teenage girls led to depression and anxiety and “has made minimal efforts to address these issues and plays them down in public”.

Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram said in a blog post, “The reality is that kids are already online, and we believe that developing age-appropriate experiences designed specifically for them is far better for parents than where we are today.”

He claimed that Instagram Kids was targeted at the tween audience of 10-12 years old and was never meant for Kids. Other apps like YouTube and TikTok have kids versions as well for those below 13 years.

“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” he wrote. Mosseri concluded by saying that although they are pausing work for now, they will continue to build opt-in parental supervision tools for teen accounts.

He tweeted “While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we’ve decided to pause to 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.”

The development of Instagram for a younger audience was met with heavy criticism with reports citing concerns of cyber bullying, and exposure to online predators.

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