After Facebook Messenger Kids, now Facebook is on its way to developing Instagram for Kids as well, i.e., Instagram Jr.
WHAT? Yes, you heard it right. Nowadays, children start engaging on social media at an early age, and by doing so, they are open to a kind of content that is not appropriate for them. But as we all are very much aware of our educational habits, we can’t stop them from browsing on the internet.
In an interview, Mosseri said, “We have to do a lot here, but part of the solution is to create a new version of Instagram for youth or kids where parents have transparency or control. It’s one of the things we are planning.”
Facebook Messenger Kids and Youtube Kids are available. Now Facebook is developing a new version of Instagram that is specified for children under the age of 13.
For kids, is current Instagram cool or the next nightmare?
Well, this is going to be a big question for the parents. Back with Facebook’s Messenger for Kids, there was a flaw built into the system where children could communicate with those people whom their parents hadn’t approved yet. So this time, Facebook has to prove that the same design flaw will not be the case with the New Instagram.
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Why isn’t current Instagram for kids?
No one can ignore the popularity of Instagram. With an Instagram account, teens and children can upload videos and images, chat with people through private message features, and browse any content. But with this friendly interaction comes an issue of exposure to inappropriate content, i.e., sexual content and predators. Children under the age of 13 start capturing things in their minds and take that experience with them to adulthood.
Parents’ are concerned about the privacy of their children and their mental health as well. There is no mention of the age restriction whatsoever while setting up an Instagram account. All you need is an email address or Facebook login, and ta-da! Now you have an account on Instagram as well. Easy enough?
Since there is no age restriction, once a person became a user of Instagram, he gets access to millions of photos and videos worldwide and more adult content than a child has access to all in one place ever.
Still, doubt about that? Let me tell you about few things your child will now have the opportunity to learn with just ONE CLICK and that too in full HD!
- Drug & alcohol use
- Sex
- Pornography
- Eating disorders
- Profanity
I think this will give you an idea of what side of the world will be there for your children to explore.
Will your child’s privacy be at stake?
YES, an account made on current Instagram will be a public account by default, and to change that to a private reserve, one has to go to the settings to do so. Even the child making an account doesn’t know this unless an existing Instagram users make him aware of that.
Want to keep track of the people with whom your children engage through private messages?
Well “Disappear messages” feature of Current Instagram stops you from doing that. Your child can direct message, photo, or video to anyone, and that will “disappear.” Sadly you won’t be able to keep track of anything that has been sent or received. Now, do you want your children to send or receiving disappearing messages? And that too from a stranger?
Do you think that by using Instagram, your children will be free from any bullying?
If you feel so, then you are WRONG. A 2017 survey by Ditch the Label, an anti-bullying nonprofit, found 42% of people between the ages of 12 and 20 had experienced cyberbullying and harassment on Instagram. Think about it!
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Policies of New Instagram
Facebook published a blog post on Tuesday titled “Continuing to Make Instagram safer for the Youngest Members of our Community.” This post states, “We require everyone to be at least 13 years to use Instagram and have asked new users to mention their age when they sign up for an account for some time.” After this post, one thing is clear that Facebook wants to expand its user base.
Instagram outlined some ways in which they will try to make its main app safer.
- The company has updated Instagram’s Nudity policy which will be implemented on Facebook as well. This step is taken to ensure that all body types are represented fairly and equally on social media.
- Nude and sexual images are “restricted” and are “monitored” on case to case basis.
- It has restricted adults from sending messages to the users who have said that they are under 18. No adult can contact a child under 18 years of age unless and until they follow each other.
There isn’t much information about what an Instagram for kids will going to look like. All the points mentioned above tell me that the new version of Instagram will come with a lot of parental control.
Like in Facebook Messenger Kids, parents have a whole dashboard where they can see with whom their children communicate, what type of video or photo they have been sharing, and the time they are using social media.
The big question is, Will the parents want something like Facebooks’ new Instagram for their children at such a young age?
Parents’ concern is the key to whether Instagram for kids will succeed or get a backlash. In 2017 Facebook launched Facebook Messenger for Kids, it got a lot of pushback from parents, and their main concern was privacy.
By knowing about current Instagram’s environment, parents don’t want something like Instagram jr as there will be a threat to their mental harassment. Now that the company is working on Facebooks’ new Instagram, they have to design it by putting privacy first and have strict rules to protect the younger users.
