Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to ditch plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under 13 years after Attorney General of 44 states urge the CEO of the Tech giant Company to cancel plans for the launch of a version of Instagram for children under 13 years.
On Monday officials said in a letter that “Use of social media can be detrimental to the health and well-being of children, who are not equipped to navigate the challenges of having a social media account,”
The Attorneys said “Facebook failed to protect the welfare of children on its most used platforms,”
Facebook spokesperson said the tech giant company “they are excising on a version of Instagram for kids under 13 years” the tech company said they will not show ads on the Instagram platform for the children under 13.
Facebook said the version of Instagram will prioritize the safety and privacy. The company said they will consult expects in child development, mental health, child safety and privacy before the deployment of the version for children.
The letter to Facebook was issued on Monday to cancel the plans was signed by the attorneys general of Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, Kentucky New York, Texas, California, Massachusetts, and others said “but it seems the tech giant is not willing to respond to the letter from the attorney general instead focusing to implement the Instagram version for children.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey posted on her Twitter page that “Facebook has repeatedly failed to protect the health and well being of children on its platforms.
She further said “Instagram for Kids” is a shameful attempt to exploit and profit off vulnerable people. I’m leading a letter to Mark Zuckerberg with 44 AGs to demand they abandon this plan”.
The letter from the AGs shows that media report from the year 2019 showed that Facebook’s Messenger Kids app, which focus on kids between of six and 12, “contained some features which allowed children to bypass restrictions set on the app on online interactions and join group chats with strangers that were not previously approved by the children’s parents”.
Last month, there was a campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood calling the CEO of the tech Company not to deploy the version for the kids because it will put them at risk.
