Instagram pauses plans to develop app for kids under 13
Al Jazeera
The pause gives the photo-sharing app a chance to listen to concerns of parents and lawmakers and respond accordingly, Instagram’s chief said on Monday.
Development plans for Instagram Kids are on hold for now, the photo-sharing app’s chief announced on Monday, after The Wall Street Journal reported in a series of investigative articles that Facebook is aware that Instagram is harmful to the mental health of teenage girls.
“While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we’ve decided to pause this project,” said Instagram head Adam Mosseri in a statement published on Monday. “This will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today.”
Facebook bought Instagram back in 2012 for $1bn. The app targeting kids is viewed as instrumental to expanding and holding on to young users who are increasingly shunning Facebook in favour of rival apps such as TikTok for their social media consumption.
