Instagram for kids: Boss defends plans for new under-13s app
The boss of Instagram has defended his company’s plans to develop a new version of the app for under-13s, saying it could help protect children from online harms.
Earlier this year it emerged Facebook was working on a spin-off version of the popular photo-sharing app targeting a younger demographic.
Currently the platform does not allow people under the age of 13 to create an account.
The plans were met with a fierce backlash amid concerns that social media is already exposing children to harmful material.
But Instagram chief Adam Mosseri today said the new app, which is still in the early stages of development, was aimed at keeping children safe.
“The idea though is that it has to be more responsible. In a world where kids under 13 want to use Instagram or platforms like Instagram verifying age is very difficult because they don’t have IDs,” he told reporters.
“It has to be more responsible to give parents oversight and transparency than to have kids continue to lie about their age.
Mosseri acknowledged his company still had to do more age verification, but argued that having an app specifically designed for under-13s would be preferable for parents.
“I feel like it’s got to be better to get parents involved – as a parent I would rather be involved than have my boys lie about their age.”
But campaigners have hit out at the proposed app, accusing it of putting even more children at risk in pursuit of profit.
Critics also argued that those under the age of 13 already on Instagram were unlikely to ditch the app for a new version that seemed “babyish”.
‘Trying to do the right thing’
Asked about criticism of the idea, Mosseri said he believed the company’s detractors were “trying to do the right thing”.
“They’re worried about children’s safety, as are we,” he said. “I think that’s reasonable. I think there is stuff that we can do to design a version of Instagram that is safer, and I think we will do that.
The social media chief added that the plans were not yet “fully fledged” and that the company was still “really early in the process”.
The launch comes amid mounting criticism of tech giants such as Google and Facebook over their failure to stamp out harmful material on their platforms.
Media watchdog Ofcom has been appointed as the UK’s first internet regulator and has been charged with ensuring sites fulfil a duty of care towards their users and tackle material such as abuse and misinformation.
The regulator will also be given powers to hand down hefty fines to companies that fall foul of the new rules.