by Camila Porto | Mar 19, 2022 | Instagram |
Facebook is working on a version of Instagram for under 13s, Instagram Kids. According to the platform's terms of use, children under 13 cannot register for the photo and video sharing application. However, that is not what we see there.
According to Bloomberg, the intention is to make the Instagram app popular among the new generation of users. For this, Facebook thinks of starting to capture users as soon as possible.
Will Instagram Kids be released?
The new app was announced internally by the company on March 16, but has yet to be released. It is worth remembering that to use Instagram, you must be over 13 years old. The app should be called Instagram Kids, according to an article published by BuzzFeed.
Launching a Kids version of Instagram makes sense, given that apps like TikTok and Snapchat have been stealing the spotlight from kids.
“More and more kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them stay in touch with their friends,” Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesman, said in a statement.
“Right now there aren't many options for parents, so we're working on building additional products – as we've done with Messenger Kids – that are kid-friendly, managed by parents. We're exploring bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram to help kids keep up with their friends, discover new hobbies and interests, and more. ”
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Messenger Kids is a version of Facebook Messenger also focused on children. It has a number of parental controls, so kids can only chat with contacts approved by their parents.
Despite this, there is a great debate against this Facebook initiative. Experts say it is not possible to maintain full control over children's use of the app.
It's worth remembering that another company, YouTube, has a Kids version of their app. YouTube Kids is an extremely popular version of the video app and a “safer” way for little ones to have fun online.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Priya Kumar, a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland who researches how social media affects families, says:
“Many kids, by choice or accident, migrate to the broader YouTube platform,” she said. "Just because you have a platform for kids doesn't mean they're going to stay there."
Why will Instagram Kids launch?
If you read Instagram's terms of use when creating your account, you must have read that users must be over 13 years of age to create an account. Here's an excerpt from Instagram's Terms of Use: "You must be at least 13 years old or the legal minimum age in your country to use Instagram."
We know that this doesn't always happen, and a few months ago Facebook announced the removal of accounts made by children under 13 on the platform. Also, if you want to know more about this limitation or even report an account of a minor under 13, you can check out how to do that here.
The launch of Instagram Kids seems to be a welcome one, especially for parents, who are not always able to keep their children away from the curiosity of Instagram. As an open channel, we know that all types of people use the app.
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Not to mention that, in many cases, the content that children can access when browsing the application is not always appropriate. Even with parents taking care, we know that there is no absolute control over what little ones can consume.
No details yet on what Instagram Kids will look like, but Facebook and its products are undoubtedly the ones who earn the most from this initiative. After all, by keeping the little ones away from Instagram, an opportunity is lost to “loyalize” a new generation of consumers.
