Why Instagram for kids is being criticised by lawmakers and child rights groups
The HinduFacebook-owned Instagram is said to be working on a separate app for children under 13, BuzzFeed News reported in March. Most recently, a group of U.S. lawmakers urged Facebook to not to create an Instagram service for children as it could potentially harm their physical and mental well-being. Facebook was on the edge of violating the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act in the U.S. last year, when it drew a date-of-birth boundary for its new users, allowing some to enter without giving real age information prior to setting up the age-gating barrier. Parent company Facebook introduced a children’s version of the Messenger app in 2017, which was met with criticism from child rights advocates, civil society groups and medical experts, stating health and privacy risks to children. A group of U.S. lawmakers said Facebook's faulty attempt is indication the company "failed to make meaningful commitments to protect children online".