Zuckerberg urged to cancel launching Instagram for kids

SAN FRANCISCO: An advocacy group called on Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to not create a version of photo-sharing app Instagram for children under 13 as it would put them at “great risk”.

A letter from the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood, signed by 99 groups and individuals, claims the “image-obsessed” platform is dangerous for children’s health and privacy. Plans for an Instagram for under-13s have been mooted in recent weeks. Facebook, which owns Instagram, said it would be “managed by parents”.

Instagram exploits youngsters’ fear of missing out as they constantly check their devices seeking approval and uploading pictures, CCFC said, adding that the platform’s continuous focus on appearance and self-presentation would be a challenge to adolescents’ privacy and wellbeing.

“While collecting valuable family data and cultivating a new generation of Instagram users may be good for Facebook’s bottom line, it will likely increase the use of Instagram by young children who are particularly vulnerable to the platform’s manipulative and exploitative features,” the letter said.

In the letter, the signatories point out that those under the age of 13 already on Instagram are unlikely to “abandon it for a new site that seems babyish”. “The real target of Instagram for kids will be much younger children,” it said.

Josh Golin, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood executive director, said: “Instagram’s business model relies on extensive data collection, maximising time on devices, promoting a culture of over-sharing and idolising influencers, as well as a relentless focus on often altered physical appearance. It is certainly not appropriate for seven-year olds.”

CCFC is a nonprofit organisation that believes that child-targeted marketing, along with the excessive screen time it encourages, will damage kids’ healthy development, and is dedicated to ending marketing to children.