INSTAGRAM is working on a version of the app for children under 13.
The head of the Facebook-owned app revealed the plans on Twitter and has already face some backlash from concerned parents and people worried about the negative aspects of social media.
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Adam Mosseri tweeted in response to a BuzzFeed article: “Kids are increasingly asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends.
“A version of Instagram where parents have control, like we did w/ Messenger Kids, is something we’re exploring. We’ll share more down the road.”
Mosseri also revealed to the news outlet that there is no “detailed plan yet”.
BuzzFeed revealed that Mosseri would oversee the project along with vice president Pavni Diwanji who helped set up YouTube Kids when she worked at Google.
Some people have already tweeted concerns about the idea of Instagram for under 13s.
One mother replied to Mosseri tweet: “To @instagram and @Facebook, from a Mom: We don’t just give stuff to kids because they WANT it.
“We don’t give kids dangerous tools to play with when grownups haven’t figured out how to make those tools safe.
“Stop trying to sell dangerous tools to kids.”
One tweeter replied: “this is a really bad idea and you should not do it. How much potential harm are you willing to tolerate for more revenue?”
Another said: “Can you share any data to backup the claim how many kids are wanting to be on social sharing apps, interested to hear how such questions were pitched?
“Glad to hear that only parents will be allowed to setup such an app.”
Currently, you have to be 13 or older to sign up for an Instagram account.
Although, Instagram’s plans seem to suggest parents would be in control of accounts for under 13s, there could still be some privacy and legal issues.
Google was fined $170million (£122million) in 2019 for tracking the viewing history of children for YouTube advertising purposes.
The US Federal Trade Commission fined Google for being in breach of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Facebook has already faced scrutiny for launching a Messenger chat app for kids aged between six and 12 in 2017.
US group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) even urged Mark Zuckerberg to take the Messenger app down over concerns for children’s health and safety.
A Facebook spokesperson told us: “Increasingly kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends.
“Right now there aren’t many options for parents, so we’re working on building additional products that are suitable for kids, managed by parents.
“We’re exploring bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram to help kids keep up with their friends, discover new hobbies and interests, and more.”
Instagram – the key facts
Here’s what you need to know…
- Instagram is a social network for sharing photos and videos
- It was created back in October 2010 as an iPhone-exclusive app
- A separate version for Android devices was released 18 months later
- The app rose to popularity thanks to its filters system, which lets you quickly edit your photos with cool effects
- When it first launched, users could only post square 1:1 ratio images, but that rule was changed in 2015
- In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1billion in cash and stock
- In 2018, some analysts believe the app is worth closer to $100billion
- In October 2015, Instagram confirmed that more than 40billion photos had been uploaded to the app
- And in 2018, Instagram revealed that more than a billion people were using the app every month
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Instagram will soon start using artificial intelligence to stop adults messaging teenagers that don’t follow them.
And, Google is under fire for harvesting internet data of users browsing in Incognito Mode.
Do you think social media should have age limits? Let us know in the comments…
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
