Facebook says it has suspended work on its Instagram app project for children. The decision came after lawmakers and others raised concerns about the impact of photo-sharing platforms on young people’s mental health.
Adam Moussari, head of Instagram, said the social media service was halting its work so it could listen to concerns and do more to highlight the importance of the children’s version, which was supposed to be ad-free and allow parents to monitor children’s activity. Allowed monitoring.
The announcement follows criticism from 44 state attorney generals who called on Facebook to abandon the plan and asked Democratic lawmakers for more details on the plan.
According to the AFP news agency, the Instagram team said that they were developing the app to solve the problem of children accessing Instagram without parental permission. Adam Moussari wrote: ‘We’ve launched this project to address a key issue in our industry: young children are getting phones, misrepresenting their age, and these apps Are for children 13 or older.
The company rejected the idea due to simultaneous criticism. Moussari wrote: Critics of Instagram Kids will see it as a confession that the plan is a bad idea. It is not. The fact is that children are already online, and we believe that a system designed for age-specific experiences designed specifically for them is much better for parents than where we are today.
Facebook said both YouTube and TikTok have versions of their apps for children under 13.
“Parental permission will be required to use this app, it will not contain advertisements and will have age-appropriate content and features,” said Moussavi.
He also said that Facebook has taken several new steps on issues such as body image, encouraging people to look at other topics or take a break if they are living on negative content.
However, regardless of the intent, lawmakers do not like the idea of the app. A group of Democratic lawmakers wrote: ‘Facebook, which is taking an alternative path – is forcing children, in particular, to sign up for a new platform for the privacy and well-being of young users themselves. It can be dangerous.
All over the world, both children and adults are already concerned about the growing use of the Internet and its addiction.
Cyberbullying on social media and the internet has also taken the form of an epidemic, which not only affects a person’s confidence but also leads to various psychological disorders.
Following revelations about possible harms linked to Facebook platforms, Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Belman-Thal announced a hearing next Thursday that will focus on the issue of child protection on social media.
“This hearing will examine the toxic effects of Facebook and Instagram on young people and others and … will ask tough questions about whether big-tech companies deliberately mislead people,” Belman Thal wrote in a statement last week. Are harming and hiding this knowledge.
Facebook has confirmed that Antigone Davis, the global head of security at the company, will appear at the hearing.
Child protection groups also welcomed the news and criticized the dangers of children associated with Instagram. “Today’s announcement … will give hope to anyone who believes that the well-being of children should take precedence over the benefits of Big Tech,” said Fairplay, a child protection NGO.
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