Facebook put halt on its project of ‘Instagram kids’ after getting worldwide criticism

World: Famous social media platform – Facebook has declared that it is now deferring developing a version of its Instagram photo-sharing app for children under 13 years after the widespread criticism of the idea.

While on the other hand, defending the idea, Instagram chief – Adam Mosseri cited that this project would have created a parentally supervised version of the app for the youngsters, which had been widely misunderstood.

Mosseri stated that “We started this project to mark an important problem seen across our industry, that is kids are getting phones younger and younger, misrepresenting their age, and downloading apps that are meant for those 13 or older.”

He added, “We strongly believe that it is better for the parents to have the option to give their children access to a version of – Instagram that is designed for them only and where parents can also supervise and control their experience — than relying on an – app’s ability to verify the age of kids who are too young to have an ID.”

Continuing his statements, he noted that while they still stand by the need to develop this experience, for the time, they have decided to pause this project.

“The suspension of the project’s rollout would give Instagram – time to work with the parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and significance of this project for younger teens online today,” he further added.

The idea of ‘Instagram Kids’ was developed earlier this year, which faced criticism widely by various organisations and individuals. In the month of May, a group of US senators wrote to – Facebook urging the social media giant to pause its rollout, stating the project as a “clear record of failing to protect children on its platforms.”

While as per to Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s own research showed it was aware of the damage Instagram can do to teenage girls’ mental health.