The version being conceptualised is one where “parents have transparency or control.”
As confirmed to BuzzFeed News by Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, Instagram is looking to bring out an under-13 version of the app in response to growing interest among the age group to use the app. Currently, a “parent-controlled experience” is being explored even as a detailed plan remains to be formulated.
According to Facebook spokesperson, Joe Osborne, “Increasingly kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends.” Protecting user privacy for the new version of the app would be of great concern for Instagram.
Facebook had launched a for-kids Messenger version in 2017 for kids aged six to twelve. The app ran into controversy in 2019 due to a bug that let the young users be in groups with strangers.
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