A coalition of attorneys general from both major political parties has called on Facebook to abandon plans to create a social media platform for children under the age of 13.
The attorneys general sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, saying they believe the use of social media is harmful to children and that Facebook has previously failed to protect the interests of child users.
In their letter, they wrote: “The attorneys general want to protect our youngest citizens, and Facebook’s plan to create a platform that encourages children under the age of 13 to share content online goes against our wishes.”
The plan comes after U.S. online media outlet Buzzfeed cited an internal post from the company and revealed the plan. The post said Instagram executives are considering creating a children’s version of IG for sharing photos, for children under the age of 13. Under current Instagram policy, it is only open to users over the age of 13.
Top law enforcement officials from 44 states and territories, have expressed concern about the plan. They cited studies showing that social media use could lead to “mental distress and increased self-harming and suicidal behavior in younger populations. Other studies cited in the letter found that viewing selfies would lead to “lower self-esteem” and “lower life satisfaction.
The attorneys general also argue that young children are also ill-equipped to face the challenges of having an Instagram account, including understanding privacy, the appropriateness of what is shared, the permanence of the content, and who has access to what is shared online. They warned that cyberbullying could be exacerbated by such a platform.
Officials also cited past cases in which Facebook failed to protect the rights of children. The attorneys general, for example, argued that a glitch in Facebook’s Messenger for kids allowed children to bypass restrictions and join group chats with strangers without prior parental approval.
They also questioned a recent “bug” in Instagram’s algorithm that promoted diet content to users with eating disorders.
“It appears that Facebook is not responding to demand, but creating it, as the platform primarily attracts children who otherwise do not or would not have Instagram accounts,” they wrote, “In short, for a variety of reasons, an Instagram platform designed for children is harmful.”
The attorneys general who signed the letter are from Massachusetts, Nebraska, Vermont, Tennessee, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Recent Comments