Facebook Inc. recently announced that it intends to launch Instagram for kids. Although concerns have been expressed, we briefly explore both side of the debate.
Over the past several weeks there has been a growing debate about Facebook Inc.’s plan to launch Instagram for kids, which would cater to children under the age of 13. Facebook Inc. owns Instagram, the latter, which has grown in popularity over the years, and currently has over a billion subscribers. Moreover, the platform is among the most popular among users under the age of 35, who also is the target market for advertising.
Although Facebook is the world’s largest social network, with over 2.7 billion users, there still seems to be a cachet around Instagram, which suggests that its popularity will not be waning anytime soon. Younger users, in particular, either are deleting or abandoning their Facebook accounts, or are bypassing Facebook altogether, in favour of Instagram and other platforms (such as SnapChat or TikTok).
But why is Instagram so popular?
There are many reasons for that. The first is that it is a platform designed around images, and in environment in which a picture says 1,000 words, much can be inferred. Instagram was one of the first social networks built for smartphones. It is designed for mobile devices; hence the app is not a watered down version of what would be experienced on desktop devices or going to a website.
Further, in being mobile-focussed, it really allows users to capture, edit and post their images almost in real-time. It was among the first social network apps to introduce ordinary users to filters and photo-editing tools, and encouraged their use to create the ‘perfect shot’.
Finally, although Instagram will be 11 years old, it still seems fresh and innovative. For example, Instagram Stories, which was launched in 2016, allows users post photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours. The feature was not only a game-changer for Instagram, as use of the platform exploded, it led to similar features being launched on other social networks.
Instagram for kids
According to a poll by Pew Research Center, in the United States, 11% of parents say their 9—11 year-olds use Instagram, although the platform requires users to be at least 13 years old (Source: Hootsuite). Based on the popularity of Instagram among young adults, and the increasing requests from children to join the platform, Facebook decided in March 2021 that it would build Instagram for Kids – similar to what it did with Messenger Kids.
In a time when children are online more than they had been before, having more child-friendly platforms might not necessarily be a bad thing. YouTube Kids tends to be a mainstay of the children under the age 10, and so it could be argued that there is precedent for child-friendly platforms to be created based on platforms that are popular with youth and adults.
Similar to YouTube Kids and Messenger Kids, Instagram Kids would be managed by parents, and would permit content suitable for children. Further, and based on the school closures and social isolation experienced due the pandemic, a void may have emerged, as children were unable to interact with their friends to the same degree. Having social networks geared towards children to help them stay connected to friends, and to foster new interests, may not necessarily be a bad thing.
So what are the concerns?
As much as there has been growing use of the Internet and computing devices among children, there has also has been growing concern of the impact of that use on their development. As was noted in our interview with Clinical Neuropsychologist, Dr Rodney Stewart, the cases of digital addiction and depression are increasing, and among children, a broader range of mental and physical health issues are being observed.
There are also concerns about the fact that based on history, Facebook Inc. has not instituted adequate safeguards on its platforms, especially Facebook and Messenger Kids. Even recently, Facebook Inc. was taken to task about the misinformation and incendiary posts allowed on Facebook, and had to call for more regulation of social media, in particular. Along that vein, when children could be subject to cyberbullying, body-shaming and even sexual overtures online, child safety experts are sceptical about how Facebook Inc. will manage Instagram Kids.
In summary, and should Instagram Kids be released, it is likely that the concerns about the exploitation of children and the impact of their development will remain. However, it also emphasises the important role that parents ought to be playing in managing their children’s use of and access to the Internet and to digital content. Among young children, the Internet, similar to television, has become a babysitter. However, unlike the strict rules that are in place for television broadcast content, the same cannot be said about digital content, which is controlled by the platform owners, with their decisions being guided primarily by their own priorities and imperatives, and not that of users.
Image credits: Katerina Holmes (Pexels); Solen Feyissa (Pixabay); Tumisu (Pixabay)
Yes, but only after a discussion of the security and privacy implications, the risks of oversharing, and that everything they say and is a pseudo-permanent record. They do use to a limited extent Facebook to keep in touch with certain family members. WhatsApp is used with the understanding and expectation of information sharing within the Facebook family. We all maintain extreme control over privacy settings, including but not limited to disabling location sharing, ad tracking, microphone access, and camera access. We all also maintain separate accounts for social media and use password managers and multi-factor authentication.