Facebook Inc. is creating an Instagram edition for children under the age of 13. The social media behemoth is developing a photo-sharing app in order to reach out to the next generation of internet users with its popular services.
According to BuzzFeed News, Instagram revealed the new app internally on Thursday, March 18, but is yet to introduce it.
Users under the age of 13 are not permitted to use the app, according to the current rules of the photo-sharing website, while a parent or manager can administer an account on their behalf.
Instagram, which Facebook bought for $1 billion in 2012, has become one of its most successful products at a time when its main social networking site has struggled to connect with younger users.
In a tweet, Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson, said, “Increasingly, kids are asking their parents if they can enter apps that help them keep up with their peers.”
There aren’t many choices for parents right now, so we’re focusing on creating additional items for kids that parents can handle, similar to what we did with Messenger Kids. “We’re looking at creating a parent-controlled Instagram experience to help kids keep up with their peers, explore new hobbies and interests, and more,” he said.
Messenger Kids is a pre-teen-friendly version of Facebook’s messaging app. While it has multiple parental controls, a bug previously enabled some children to talk with others that their parents did not approve of. Regulators were concerned that the episode did not adequately protect children.
