On Monday, 40 state attorneys urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to abandon plans to set up Instagram for children under the age of 13.
“Using social media can be detrimental to the health and well-being of children who are not equipped to overcome the difficulties of having a social media account,” the authorities said in a letter. they said and added: “Also, Facebook has historically failed to protect the well-being of children on its platforms”.
The letter was also signed by the District of Columbia and the attorneys of the three US regions.
A Facebook spokesperson said the company is “just starting to discover a new version of Instagram for kids” and has committed to “show no ads on any Instagram experience developed for people under the age of 13”.
The company said its photo-sharing app Instagram should “prioritize their safety and privacy and consult with child development, child safety and mental health experts to report this.”
“It seems Facebook is not responding to a need, it is creating a new one,” the two-party letter signed by attorneys at New York, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio, Utah, Vermont, Kentucky and others. passing statements.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said on Twitter that the children’s Instagram account is “an embarrassing attempt to exploit and profit from vulnerable people.”
In the letter, the 2019 media reports included Facebook’s Messenger Kids app for children aged six to 12, “a major design flaw that allows children to circumvent online interaction restrictions and participate in group chats with strangers who have not previously been approved by their parents.”
Last month, the Non-Commercial Childhood Campaign urged Zuckerberg not to create a version for children, saying it would “put children at great risk”.
