What’s happened?
Instagram has announced today that the company is temporarily ceasing development on the highly polarizing ‘Kids’ version of the app, citing concerns from parents and other child advocacy groups.
Why does it matter?
Plans to develop an under-13 only variation of the photo sharing app surfaced earlier in the year. It was to be centered around parental oversight – determining who their child can follow, direct message, and more.
However, following the rather damning report published by the Wall Street Journal last week, pressure has been mounting on the company to respond in some sort of meaningful way. The report found that the company is well-aware of the toxic nature of Instagram on its younger demographic – especially teenage girls.
What’s my take?
Fingers crossed this project doesn’t get rebooted when we’re not looking.