Facebook Inc has announced in a blog the pause of the Instagram Kids app project amid widespread backlash from US lawmakers, activists, and parents.
Instagram Kids Faces Backlash
This announcement follows criticism from 44 state attorneys arguing that a platform dedicated to kids is not a good idea.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, said that the company decided to hit breaks on the app development citing that this would give IG 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'.
We’re pausing “Instagram Kids.” This was a tough decision. I still think building this experience is the right thing to do, but we want to take more time to speak with parents and experts working out how to get this right. pic.twitter.com/gMbPjft0CW
— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 27, 2021
He explained that critics ignore the fact that kids are already online and the right way to deal with is to develop 'age-appropriate experiences' designed specifically for kids. It's worth mentioning that both YouTube and TikTok already have versions dedicated for kids under 13.
aParental supervision was a big part of what we were already building for u13s, and in the coming months we’re going to expand opt-in parental supervision to teen accounts on Instagram, giving parents more oversight of their teen’s experiences on our app.
— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 27, 2021
While not specifying how long this “pause” will continue, the social media giant said that they'll continue working on expanding tools that will help parents to oversee their children’s accounts (aged 13 and over) on Instagram.
