Child safety advocates and campaigners against sexual exploitation are calling on Facebook to scrap its plans to launch an Instagram platform for children younger than 13.
A cohort of advocates under the banner of the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood are urging Facebook to cancel its plans to launch a version of Instagram designed for pre-teens, highlighting the social ills and perils of digital technology. The campaigners include advocacy groups from around the world and concerned individuals, including the creators of the 2020 documentary film that scrutinizes social media, “The Social Dilemma.”
“In the elementary and middle school years, children experience incredible growth in their social competencies, abstract thinking, and sense of self. Finding outlets for self-expression and connection with their peers become especially important. We are concerned that a proposed Instagram for kids would exploit these rapid developmental changes,” the April 15 letter from CCFC advocates to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reads.
