Attorneys general from 44 states have asked Facebook to reconsider its plan to create a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13, claiming it could be an issue to the mental health of its young users.
The letter from the National Association of Attorneys General sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday urges Facebook to think again about producing a version of its photo-based social network for children under the age of 13. Instead, the group wants Facebook to abandon its plans entirely.
The plan for an Instagram for people under the age of 13 surfaced in March. Under current rules, to comply with the United States Children s Online Privacy Protection Act, as well as other regional versions around the world, social networks like Facebook and Instagram ban users under 13 from using their services.
An advocacy group on Thursday urged Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to cancel plans to launch a version of the popular photo-sharing app Instagram for children under 13, saying that it would put the preteens at “great risk”.
“Instagram, in particular, exploits young people’s fear of missing out and desire for peer approval to encourage children and teens to constantly check their devices and share photos with their followers,” the letter (PDF) from the non-profit organisation Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) said.
BuzzFeed News last month reported that Instagram is planning to launch a version for preteen kids.