Instagram Kids project paused

Sophie Beard posted on 29 September 2021

Facebook has announced that they will be halting work on Instagram Kids. 

The new platform is being developed for those aged 10-12 who receive parental permission to join. Instagram Kids will work slightly differently from Instagram as we know it; no ads, age-appropriate content, features, and more. Parents will also be able to supervise the time their kids are spending on the app, oversee their messages, follow requests, and who they are following. But for now, this is on pause. 

On the decision to launch, and pause, the project, Instagram said:

“We started this project to address an important problem seen across our industry: kids are getting phones younger and younger, misrepresenting their age, and downloading apps that are meant for those 13 or older….While we stand by the need to develop this experience, we’ve decided to pause this project. This will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today.” 

For the full statement from Instagram, click here.