Last month, there was a word about Instagram releasing a dedicated app specifically for children under 13. Many people criticized the decision, and the pressure on Zuckerberg to give up on it seems to be heating up. Recently, an international coalition of 35 children’s and consumer groups invited Zuckerberg to stop the project, citing everything that could go wrong if the app is released. And as you can imagine, there are many things that could go wrong.
The news about Instagram for kids was initially reported by BuzzFeed News. This source obtained an internal company post, revealing the company’s plans:
Writing about it, some big reasons why this is wrong popped into my head immediately. These include sexual predators and cyber-bullying, which already are huge problems on social media. In its letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) cites plenty more challenges that kids would face if introduced to a social network like Instagram at such a young age. CCFC relies on developmental stages in children that could be hindered by using the proposed Instagram for kids. “Instagram, in particular, exploits young people’s fear of missing out and desire for peer approval to encourage children and teens to constantly check their devices and share photos with their followers,” the letter also reads. “The platform’s relentless focus on appearance, selfpresentation, and branding presents challenges to adolescents’ privacy and wellbeing.” Studies have shown that Instagram ruins self-confidence in teenagers, and CFCC fears that it could have the same effect in younger children. Another challenge could be pursuing youngsters to switch to Instagram for kids in the first place. “Children between the ages of 10 and 12 who have existing Instagram accounts are unlikely to migrate to a “babyish” version of the platform after they have experienced the real thing,” the letter reads further. “The true audience for a kids’ version of Instagram will be much younger children who do not currently have accounts on the platform.” The letter further points out all the health risks children face due to spending too much time behind the screen: CCFC also reflects on online bullying: For now, Facebook still needs to respond to CFCC’s and other letters urging it to drop the project. The company’s spokeswoman Stephanie Otway told The New York Times that kids being online is the reality. “They want to connect with their family and friends, have fun and learn, and we want to help them do that in a way that is safe and age-appropriate,” she concluded. I still don’t think Instagram for kids is a good idea. Apparently, many people agree with me on it. Still, I’m not optimistic that Facebook will just drop the project because people want it. After all, people also want chronological Feed and fewer ads, and look how that’s going for us. [via PetaPixel]
