Facebook has disclosed plans to build a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. the photo-sharing app disclosed the news two days after saying it planned to do more to protect its young users.
According to a research by Ditch the Label, 2/5 of children between the ages of 12 and 20 have been bullied on Instagram in the past.
It is perceived that due to Instagram’s growing popularity among teenagers, it is a viable growth segment. The Head of Instagram echoed the same sentiments in an interview with Buzzfeed.
We have to do a lot here,” he said, “but part of the solution is to create a version of Instagram for young people or kids where parents have transparency or control. It’s one of the things we’re exploring.”
Adam Mossero
Instagram announced that the company plans to limit messages between teenagers and adults who don’t follow each other and make it difficult for adults to find and follow teenagers.
The news, met with mixed feelings as concerns on how addictive social media platforms have been even for adults coupled with the ever-strong battle of Data and what to do with it, has been criticized by social media experts
Experts expressed concerns over the monetization of people’s activities and the fact that building a kids platform doesn’t necessarily suggest non-usage of the other platform for adults by the said kids.