Facebook has confirmed the development of an Instagram version for kids under 13 years. The Buzz Feed reports that Instagram Head, Adam Mosseri said that the company is aware that a number of kids want to use Instagram even though there was no detailed plan yet.
“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,” Mosseri told BuzzFeed News.
“Increasingly kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends,” Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson said in an email to The Verge.
Read: Instagram’s Restricts Adults from Messaging Teens who Do Not Follow Them
“Right now there aren’t many options for parents, so we’re working on building additional products — like we did with Messenger Kids — that are suitable for kids, managed by parents. We’re exploring bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram to help kids keep up with their friends, discover new hobbies and interests, and more.”
Earlier this week, Instagram published a number of measures it was taking to ensure the safety of teens online although the kids version was not mentioned.
Read also: Instagram to Automatically Hide Negative Comments
Online products for children come with a lot of responsibility and legal issues. In 2019, Google was fined $170 million for tracking children’s viewing history on YouTube and displaying targeted ads. TikTok was also fined $5.7 million for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in 2019.
Facebook launched an ad free Messenger for kids in 2019. For kids between six and twelve years old.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
