Facebook working on Instagram for kids under 13

Facebook working on Instagram for kids under 13

Facebook says it is working on a version of its Instagram app for kids under 13, who are technically not allowed to use the app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations.

The move came just a day after Facebook announced a slew of new measures intended to keep teenagers safe on Instagram — but that announcement made no mention of the plan to build an Instagram for kids.

Critics raised concerns immediately, saying a kid-friendly Instagram is just a way for Facebook to expand its user base and condition children into using its products so it can later make money off of them.

Facebook launched the Messenger Kids app in 2017, pitching it as a way for children to chat with family members and friends approved by parents.

When it launched Messenger Kids, Facebook said it wouldn't show ads or collect data for marketing to kids.

[Source; TV NZ/Associated Press]