Facebook Halts Development of Instagram for Kids Amid Controversy

WSJ "Pushed Forward Despite Knowing Harmfulness" Report Sparks Political Backlash
Facebook "Will Strengthen Youth Safety"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Facebook, which faced backlash over developing Instagram for children, has finally announced that it will halt the development of Instagram for children under 13 years old.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 27th (local time), Facebook issued a statement that morning saying, "We believe building 'Instagram Kids' is the right thing to do, but we have decided to stop development." Facebook added, "Instead, Instagram will continue to focus on enhancing safety for teenagers and parental supervision features for teens."

Instagram, a social media (SNS) platform for sharing photos and videos, is currently prohibited for use by children under 13 under U.S. law. For this reason, Facebook had been pushing to develop a separate Instagram for children under 13.

However, recent WSJ reports revealed that Facebook proceeded with development despite multiple internal research findings showing that Instagram is mentally harmful to teenagers, sparking controversy.

According to internal Facebook documents obtained by WSJ, 13% of British and 6% of American teenagers who reported having suicidal thoughts identified Instagram as the cause.

Following the WSJ report, voices in U.S. politics grew louder demanding the halt of Instagram development for children under 13, and the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection scheduled a hearing summoning Facebook officials. Amid ongoing controversy, Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Mike Schroepfer resigned, leading some to speculate that this was a fallout from the Instagram controversy.