Facebook announced this week that they're pausing development on their Instagram Kids product aimed at 10-12 year olds.
Thank the Lord.
Facebook has never necessarily been a PR darling, but going forward with this product after the Wall Street Journal investigation revealing Instagram's harmful effects on the mental health of teens is like going back in time and boarding the Titanic after watching the James Cameron movie.
I'm still not ENTIRELY opposed to the concept (although I say that pretty loosely). The truth of the matter is kids are using sites like Instagram anyways, so it in theory makes sense to provide them a safe, controlled environment in the same way it makes sense for teenagers to try drinking for the first time with their family rather than at a frat. But the correlation between high social media usage and poor mental health is well-publicized at this point. I just cannot support any product that actively encourages people under the age of 12 to start scrolling. It's one thing to let your kids drink in the house. It's another to give them a beer cooler in their bedroom.
I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Facebook resurrect this concept in a few years, but Facebook has some massive trust issues to overcome first. I don't even want Facebook peeking into my photos let alone my future kid's mental health. Facebook has work to do.
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