Yahoo Finance Facebook urged to scrap plans to build Instagram for under-13s
Child safety campaigners across the world have urged Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to abandon the company's plan to build a children's version of Instagram.
In a letter sent to Mr Zuckerberg today, at least 35 research and campaign groups, including three from the UK, warn that the proposed app would put children at increased risk of mental illness, bullying, sexual abuse and predatory advertising.
It argued that Instagram has failed to protect its existing users, including “millions of younger children” who have already dodged the social network's minimum age requirements to make their accounts.
The letter was written by the US-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and signed by 5Rights, the children's charity founded by Baroness Kidron, as well as organisers of last year's Facebook advertising boycott and the makers of the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma.
"Rather than building a system which prioritises children’s best interests, Instagram Junior looks like it is more about hooking kids to the Facebook platform at an even younger age: collecting more data, encouraging children to share more of their lives online and putting them at risk from groomers and others who would do them harm," said Tony Stower, Director of External Engagement at 5Rights.
Facebook caused alarm among British MPs and child protection advocates last month when it confirmed it was working on a version of Instagram for under-13s, as first reported by BuzzFeed News. Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary and now chair of the Commons health committee, called on the UK Government to ban any new app.
Mr Zuckerberg told the US Congress that he hoped to create a safer outlet for children who currently lie about their age to join Instagram, insisting that any new version would have parental controls.
But the CCFC's letter argues that new safety efforts should not depend on Facebook's ability to “monopolise and monetise children's attention” on a new app, warning that children under 13 are at an especially vulnerable stage of development.
The letter says: “A growing body of research demonstrates that excessive use of digital devices and social media is harmful to adolescents. Instagram['s]... relentless focus on appearance, self-presentation, and branding presents challenges to adolescents’ privacy and well-being.
“According to your congressional testimony, Instagram for kids is in the early planning stages. We urge you to abandon those plans. Doing so would send a strong message that Facebook understands the vast concerns about the effects its business model is having on young people, and is open to solutions that truly benefit children and teens, not just Facebook’s market share.”
Facebook has already met barriers in trying to launch its children's version of Messenger, called Messenger Kids, in the UK and Europe, where it has been blocked due to concerns about child privacy.
Other signatories of the letter included the UK-based Every Child Protected Against Trafficking UK and the British environmental charity Global Action Plan, alongside boycott organiser Common Sense Media, public health bodies such as the Norwegian Cancer Society, and 64 individuals.
Dr Jenny Radesky, an assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School, said: “During the pandemic, I have heard countless stories from parents of elementary-aged children about high-drama and problematic interactions happening over social media that kids weren’t developmentally ready for. An Instagram for kids is the last thing they need.”
" We haven’t seen Facebook’s plans in detail but it can’t be in children’s best interests to share more of their lives online, having more data gathered, and having more content algorithmically pushed on them," added Stower. "Children should be able to grow up online without being pushed to datafy every aspect of their lives."
"Kids are already online, and want to connect with their family and friends, have fun, and learn. We want to help them do that in a safe and age-appropriate way, and find practical solutions to the ongoing industry problem of kids lying about their age to access apps," a Facebook spokesperson said.
"We’re working on new age verification methods to keep under-13s off Instagram and have just started exploring an Instagram experience for kids that is age-appropriate and managed by parents.
"We agree that any experience we develop must prioritise 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.”
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram had previously told the Telegraph that it was “overwhelming” to have Instagram blamed for the death of Molly Russell, 14, who took her life after viewing self harm images online, by her father Ian. “I focused a lot on safety issues and integrity issues and well being issues at Instagram and before at Facebook,” he said. “They are issues I have always taken very seriously but it becomes so much more real so much more intense when you have the story of an individual particularly if something tragic has happened.”
