Facebook puts Instagram Kids app on hold

Instagram has put the brakes on a new app that it's creating for kids amid growing opposition to the project.

That's according to a Monday blog post from Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, after U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups alike raised concerns that the photo-sharing app could be harmful to children’s mental health and urged the social media giant to drop its launch plan.

In the blog post, Instagram said that building a version of the app for kids was the right thing to do, but that it was pausing the work to consult with experts and policymakers and would continue building on its parental supervision tools.

The company has said Instagram Kids would require parental permission to join, and provide ad-free, age-appropriate content.

But Josh Golin, the executive director of Fairplay, an advocacy group focused on kids, said: "We won't stop pressuring Facebook until they permanently pull the plug."

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal published a report that said Facebook is aware of evidence suggesting Instagram has a harmful effect on teenagers, particularly teen girls, but that the company has made minimal efforts to address the issue. Facebook, for its part, has said the report is inaccurate.

Shares of Facebook were down slightly on Monday in early trading, but on a day when technology stocks fell broadly.