After heavy criticism from the media regarding the result of the Facebook survey and the decision taken by the company in the face of it, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, stated on the Instagram blog that he is pausing the development of the application "Instagram Kids". However, Adam says that even with this decision, the company would continue to develop supervision tools for parents (or guardians).
During the Instagram blog statement, Adam blames the media and his critics for misinterpreting the aforementioned app's purpose.
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Instagram app for kids has paused development after criticism
Instagram boss says:
"This was never done for younger children, but for teenagers (ages 10-12)."
In a tweet, Adam adds about the new Instagram app saying:
"It was leaked long before we knew what it would be. People feared the worst and we had few answers at this stage. Of course we need more time on this."
Break in the development of "Instagram Kids"
The decision to pause the development of "Instagram Kids" came after the publication of several articles by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) criticizing the decision and stance taken by Facebook, the company responsible for Instagram. One of the criticisms was that according to Facebook's own research, Instagram would be harmful to some teens, but that the company was ignoring this fact by continuing to develop Instagram for children.
Center for Digital Democracy senior strategist Kathryn Montgomery even told BBC News in April that:
"Facebook claims that creating an Instagram for kids will help keep them safe on the platform. The company's true goal is to expand its lucrative and profitable Instagram franchise to an even younger audience, introducing kids to a powerful commercialized social media environment that poses serious threats to your privacy, health and well-being."
Adam Mosseri justifies the intention of creating Instagram for children
According to Instagram manager Adam, critics will see Instagram pausing development of the children's version of the app "as a concession that the project is a bad idea".
However, Adam says:
"I have to believe that parents would prefer the option for their children to use an age-appropriate version of Instagram - one that provides them with supervision - than the alternative. But I'm not here to minimize your concerns, we have to get this right."
I have to believe parents would prefer the option for their children to use an age-appropriate version of Instagram - that gives them oversight - than the alternative. But I’m not here to downplay their concerns, we have to get this right.
— Adam Mosseri ? (@mosseri) September 27, 2021
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A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)
