Instagram pressing ahead with plans to launch app for kids despite safety fears

Instagram’s plans to launch an app for young kids, despite growing child safety and privacy fears.

Facebook, which owns the image-led social media app, is working on a platform for under 13s that will allow young children to share photos and connect online.

But the move has come under fire in the US, with more than 40 state attorneys-general appealing to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to ax the plan.

Some 44 of the country’s top legal advisors teamed up to send a letter to the 36-year-old to urge him to scrap development over concerns about the wellbeing of young people.

In the letter sent on Monday, the group said Facebook had previously “failed to protect the safety and privacy of children on its platforms”.

It added: “An Instagram platform for young children is harmful for myriad reasons. The attorney-generals urge Facebook to abandon its plans to launch this new platform.”

In response, Facebook announced it would continue with its plan but would be happy to work with legislators to try to resolve issues.

“As every parent knows, kids are online all the time, whether adults want it or not. We want to improve this situation by delivering experiences that give parents visibility and control over what their kids are doing,” Facebook said.

“We are developing these experiences in consultation with experts in child development, child safety and mental health, and privacy advocates. We also look forward to working with legislators and regulators, including the nation’s attorneys-general.”

The new app, with a reported working title of Instagram Youth, was first announced in March.

It was immediately met with fierce opposition from cybersecurity experts and politicians, who said Facebook’s platforms were “intentionally designed to get younger customers hooked early, monitor their activity and expose them to poisonous content material and predators.”

This is not the first time Facebook has targeted a younger market.

In 2017, it launched the infamous Messenger for Kids app, which was found to have a “significant design flaw” which enabled kids to create group chats without their parents knowing. The issue was later fixed.

The tech firm, however, has said new parental controls would provide greater protection for young users.

In its reply on Monday, Facebook said it was “committed to not showing ads in any Instagram experience we develop for people under the age of 13”.

According to the Facebook’s latest figures, Instagram’s current platform has 1billion active adult users worldwide.