Two children using a mobile device.Photo: getty
A group of children advocates is taking a stand against Facebook and itsplans to create an Instagram tailored to children under the age of 13.
On Thursday, nearly 100 experts and advocates called for Facebook to scrap its plans for the new platform, claiming that it would be “harmful” to adolescents' developmental growth.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Facebook spokesperson Stephanie Otway says they have heard the group’s complaints and are working to find a middle ground.
“We’ve just started exploring a version of Instagram for younger teens. 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,” Otway says. “In addition, we will not show ads in any Instagram experience we develop for people under the age of 13.”
Instagram on a phone.Press Association via AP Images
In Thursday’s letter, the group said that elementary and middle school-aged children “experience incredible growth in their social competencies, abstract thinking, and sense of self,” and that having this new Instagram would “exploit these rapid developmental changes.”
They argued that the social media app would damage children’s mental and physical health, as well as increase bullying and the chance of interaction with sexual predators.
“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,” the letter reads, citing research. “The platform’s relentless focus on appearance, self-presentation, and branding presents challenges to adolescents' privacy and wellbeing.”
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The group’s plea comes close to a month after Facebook announced it would beadding more safety features for teens on the main app. That same week, the company revealeda new child-tailored Instagram was in the works.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, also noted toBuzzFeed Newsthat the company has “to do a lot here,” 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.”
U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal and Congresswomen Kathy Castor and Lori Trahan on April 5sent a letter to Zuckerbergurging him to cancel plans for the app.
source: people.com
