During the course of the year, Facebook announced plans to launch a kids version of Instagram for young people under the age of 13, but public health organizations and child advocacy groups around the world have appealed to Facebook to cease these plans.
The group led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) expressed their displeasure in a letter dated April 15, 2021, to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook Inc. The group believes that creating another social media platform for children will be “harmful” to the development of adolescents.
“Launching a version of Instagram for children under 13 is not the right remedy and would put young users at risk,” the letter goes on to say.”…” It will likely increase the use of Instagram by young children who are particularly vulnerable to the platform’s manipulative and exploitative features.”
“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”.”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”, they further stated.
However, in response to this letter to People, Facebook spokesperson Stephanie Otway acknowledged receipt of the letter and stated that they will find an accord with the CCFC and address the issues raised.
“The reality is that kids are online. 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. We also want to find practical solutions to the ongoing industry problem of kids lying about their age to access apps”.
“We’re working on new age verification methods to keep under-13s off Instagram and were exploring an Instagram experience for kids that is age-appropriate and managed by parents.” Otway continued.. “we agree that any experience we develop must prioritize their safety and privacy, and we will consult with experts in child development, child safety, and mental health, and privacy advocates to inform it. We also won’t show ads in any Instagram experience we develop for people under the age of 13.”
The Campaign for a commercial-free childhood(CCFC) joins congresswoman Kathy Castor and U.S senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal to have previously sent letters to Mark Zukerberg urging him to cancel plans for the app.
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