Facebook Plans Instagram for Kids, Receives Criticism to Cancel

Attorneys general from 44 states and territories in the United States persuaded Facebook to abandon its plans to develop an Instagram service for kids under 13. They cited detrimental health effects of social media on children and the social media giant's reportedly checkered past of protecting children on its website.

Instagram for Children Plans Called to be Ditched by 44 States

According to officials, research has painted a sad picture of younger people's social media usage in a letter to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Monday. They cited links to bullying and mental health problems. This letter adds bipartisan weight to pressure that the company had faced over its plans for the Instagram version since March when Zuckerberg spoke about it in a congressional hearing. The attorneys general included the top prosecutor from New York, Texas, and California, and the letter cautioned that social media leads children to be concerned about their social status and personal appearance.

The social media platform currently prohibits anyone under the aforementioned age from using their products. However, it stated numerous children lie about their age to gain access, reported Independent.

The letter underscored such a service would pose harm for a myriad of reasons. The group also expressed concern regarding predatory adults, the physical and emotional well-being of children, and Facebook's missteps on data protection and privacy, reported Mint Lounge.

According to the officials in the letter, "Use of social media can be detrimental to the health and well-being of children, who are not equipped to navigate the challenges of having a social media account. Further, Facebook has historically failed to protect the welfare of children on its platforms," reported Gadgets 360.

Monday's letter follows interrogation from federal lawmakers who have voiced concern over children's social media effects. The topic was a significant theme that emerged from lawmakers at a House hearing in March with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. In April, Democratic lawmakers also sent Facebook's CEO a letter criticizing its planned platform for children.

According to Zuckerberg at the congressional hearing in March regarding the plans, it contended that social media was a good way for youngsters to connect with family and friends. The AGs rejected this argument in their letter.

Attorney General Letitia James stated social media is not only an influential tool that can be harmful to children who are not of appropriate age. She added there are too many concerns to let Facebook set forth with this "ill-conceived" concept. The plea echoed sentiments expressed by advocates for children. They also prompted Zuckerberg to scrap Instagram for pre-teens.

The letter was also signed by the AGs of the District of Columbia and three US territories. According to a Facebook spokesperson, the company has just started navigating through a version of Instagram for children and said it was committing not to display advertisements in any Instagram experience they develop for people under 13 years old.