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Facebook Pauses Plans for Instagram for Children Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said in a blog post on Monday that the company still believes building the version for children "is the right thing to do" but it is "pausing the work" to consult with parents, experts, and policymakers.

By The Epoch Times

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Facebook has paused its plans to create an Instagram for children under 13 after the effort drew pushback from dozens of attorneys general.

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said in a blog post on Monday that the company still believes building the version for children "is the right thing to do" but it is "pausing the work" to consult with parents, experts, and policymakers.

The pause "will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today," Mosseri said.

Facebook owns Instagram.

Some 44 attorneys general from both major parties urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this year to scrap plans for the Instagram for children, noting that studies have shown that using social media can be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of youth.

"Young children are not equipped to handle the range of challenges that come with having an Instagram account. Children do not have a developed understanding of privacy. Specifically, they may not fully appreciate what content is appropriate for them to share with others, the permanency of content they post on an online platform, and who has access to what they share online. They are also simply too young to navigate the complexities of what they encounter online, including inappropriate content and online relationships where other users, including predators, can cloak their identities using the anonymity of the internet," the coalition wrote in a letter to Zuckerberg.

Officials also pointed to how in the past Facebook has failed to live up to promises regarding protection of users' privacy.

Mosseri said that children are already online, highlighted how YouTube and TikTok already have versions of their apps for children under 13, and said company executives still back the project.

The children's version will only be for those aged 10 to 12, will require parental permission to join, will not have advertisements, and will have "age-appropriate content and features," he added.

"I have three children and their safety is the most important thing in my life. I hear the concerns with this project, and we're announcing these steps today so we can get it right," he concluded.

Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) are conducting a probe of Facebook after a Wall Street Journal report, citing internal documents, said the company has kept secret findings that Instagram users, particularly teenage girls, suffer from mental health and body image issues.

"Facebook's decision to pause "Instagram Kids' is a step in the right direction to ensuring a safe environment, but there is still much work to be done. Big Tech's pattern of choosing profit over the wellbeing of young users is extremely concerning & we must hold them accountable," Blackburn said Monday.

GQ Pan contributed to this report.

By Zachary Stieber

Zachary Stieber covers U.S. news, including politics and court cases. He started at The Epoch Times as a New York City metro reporter.

The Epoch Times, founded in 2000, is headquartered in Manhattan, New York, with a mission to provide independent and accurate information free of political bias or corporate influence. The organization was established in response to censorship within China and a lack of global awareness regarding the Chinese regime's repression of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.

The Epoch Times is a widely read newspaper that is distributed in 33 countries and is available in 21 languages. The publication has been critical in providing balanced and detailed reporting on major global events such as the 2003 SARS pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. Notably, the organization has played a key role in exposing corruption inside China.

Aside from its human rights coverage, The Epoch Times has made significant contributions in a variety of fields. It has received praise for its in-depth analysis and expert perspectives on business, the economy and U.S. politics. The newspaper has also received praise for its broad coverage of these topics.

A series of editorials titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" appeared in The Epoch Times in 2004. It asserts that freedom and prosperity in China can only be achieved by eliminating the Communist Party, which violated China's cultural and spiritual values. In addition, the organization led the Tuidang movement, which resulted in over 400 million Chinese citizens quitting the Communist Party. In spite of this, 90% of websites referring to the "Nine Commentaries" were blocked by the Chinese regime.

The Epoch Times has been at the forefront of investigating high-level corruption cases within the Chinese regime, with its reporters taking significant risks to uncover these stories. The organization has received several awards for its investigative journalism.

The organization has received several awards for its investigative journalism. For more, visit www.theepochtimes.com.

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