Facebook
is working on a version of Instagram for kids under 13
Adam
Mosseri, head of Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram, has confirmed that
work is underway to develop a new version of the popular app for children under
13.
The
Verge report quoted BuzzFeed News as saying that Adam Musseri said the
Facebook-owned company knew that many children wanted to use Instagram, but had
not yet made a detailed plan.
“But
one solution is to create a new version of Instagram for young people or
children where parents have transparency or control,” he said.
“This
is one of the things we are looking for,” said Adam Musei.
Keep
in mind that Instagram’s current policy prohibits children under the age of 12
from using the platform.
“A
growing number of children are asking their parents if they can join apps to
stay in touch with their friends,” Facebook spokeswoman Joe Osborne said
in an email to The Verge.
“Parents
don’t have many options at the moment, so we’re working on additional products,
as we did with Messenger Kids, which are suitable for children and managed by
parents,” he said.
“We’re
working on bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram so that they
can stay with their friends, help them find new hobbies and interests,” a
Facebook spokesperson said.
On
the other hand, according to BuzzFeed News, Instagram Vice President for
Products Vishal Shah said that the company is giving priority to a project
called ‘Youth Pillar’.
“Their
community product will focus on privacy and safety issues to assure teenagers
of the safest possible experience,” he said.
Adam
Musei, vice president of Instagram, will oversee the project with Pawni
Dewanji, the Instagram vice president said.
Earlier,
Pawni Dewanji supervised YouTube Kids while working at Google.
He
also said in a blog post that he was working to make the platform safer for
younger users.
Remember
that in 2017, Facebook launched an ad-free version of the Messenger chat
platform for children, which was created for children between the ages of 6 and
12.
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