Facebook stops developing a children's version of Instagram

Facebook announced yesterday that it has suspended work on its project to launch a version of its Instagram application for children under the age of 13, after criticism of it even before its launch, due to concerns about its impact on children's mental health.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said in a message on the network's blog that Facebook intends to take more time "to work with parents, experts and political decision makers to demonstrate the value and need for this service."

The network confirmed that it is still convinced of the benefit of developing a version intended for young users, saying that “children are now owning phones at younger ages, lying about their age, and downloading applications directed to people aged 13 and over.”

But she said she preferred to take the time to explain her position in the face of criticism calling for Facebook to abandon the project.

In May, prosecutors in 44 states sent a letter to the founder of the giant American group, in which they talked about searches showing a link between the use of social networks and "high psychological distress and suicidal behaviors in young people."

In the letter, they specifically touched on the harm that young users are doing as a result of the constant comparison they make with their peers, including eating disorders (such as anorexia or bulimia), as well as the dangers of online harassment from other teens or adult criminals.

And Facebook confirmed that suspending the development of the “Instagram Kids” application does not mean that it “admits that the project is a bad idea.”

The idea is to release a version for people between the ages of 10 and 12 that differs from the original version for older users, is ad-free, contains relevant content, and requires parental permission.

Pending the resumption of its children's version development activities, the social network said it wanted to continue creating new tools that "allow parents to supervise their children's accounts" on Instagram.

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