Instagram has paused work on its Instragram Kids project amid criticism about the app’s impact on users’ mental health.
Instagram Kids is designed as a platform for people under the age of 13. However the product has been criticised, particularly since the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Facebook-commissioned research showed Instagram harms young people’s mental health.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri says it will use this time to work with policymakers, experts and parents to “demonstrate the value and need” for the product.
“We firmly believe that it’s better for parents to have the option to give their children access to a version of Instagram that is designed for them — where parents can 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,” Mosseri says.
“While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we’ve decided to pause this project. This will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today.”
Mosseri addressed the WSJ reports saying he doesn’t “agree” with how Facebook’s research was reported.
“We do research like this so we can make Instagram better. That means our insights often shed light on problems, but they inspire new ideas and changes to Instagram,” he says.
“Examples include our industry leading anti-bullying work such as Restrict, Hidden Words, and Limits, and our recent changes to make Instagram accounts private by default for those under 16.
“Research also informs our work on issues like negative body image. We announced last week that we’re exploring two new ideas: encouraging people to look at other topics if they’re dwelling on content that might contribute to negative social comparison, and a feature tentatively called ‘Take a Break,’ where people could put their account on pause and take a moment to consider whether the time they’re spending is meaningful.”
Instagram will continue to work on parental supervision tools for its app for kids aged 13 and over.
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