{"id":2454,"date":"2021-05-17T20:31:05","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T17:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ludci.eu\/magazine\/?p=2454"},"modified":"2021-05-10T20:40:22","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T17:40:22","slug":"instagram-for-kids-facebook-creating-a-child-predator-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ludci.eu\/magazine\/instagram-for-kids-facebook-creating-a-child-predator-paradise\/","title":{"rendered":"Instagram for Kids: Facebook creating a child predator paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"

Writes Dionysus, Content Writer, Headline Diplomat eMagazine, LUDCI.eu<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Numerous international child protection experts and advocacy groups are calling on Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to abandon his plans for a version of the Instagram online platform for children under the age of 13 \u2013 Instagram Kids.<\/p>\n

Instagram is harnessing young people’s fear of missing out and wanting peer approval, the organization, Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), based in Boston, said in a letter, as also reported by Al Jazeera<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The signatories of the letter<\/a>, which is presented in PDF format and made public, include child protection organizations from the USA, Canada, Africa, and Australia.<\/p>\n

The group believes that the platform will expose young users to great risks. “The platform’s relentless focus on appearance, self-expression, and marketing poses a challenge to the privacy and well-being of young people,” said the signatories, citing physical and psychological risks associated with excessive use of social media.<\/p>\n

Another factor is the concern about sexual abuse when children and adolescents post pictures of themselves online.<\/p>\n

The background<\/h4>\n

According to Instagram’s terms of use<\/a>, you can only create an account and log into Instagram from the age of 13. Girls and boys under the age of 13 should not normally be allowed to create an account. Of course, the parents have to decide individually, because every child is different.<\/p>\n

However, Facebook has admitted that kids under the age of 13 are on Facebook<\/a>, according to The Guardian. Simon Milner, the policy director for Facebook in the UK and Ireland, admitted that controlling the age categories of users was “tricky.”<\/p>\n

According to him, “We haven’t got a mechanism for eradicating the problem [of underage users]. Facebook does have a rule that users have to be over 13, as does YouTube, which not a lot of people know,” he said at an Oxford Media Convention.<\/p>\n

According to an extensive study by the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom), half of 11 and 12-year-olds have social media accounts<\/a>, despite many social media platforms’ age restriction.<\/p>\n

Instagram is especially popular with girls. The app is mainly used for “private.” Young people mostly follow people they know personally, look at their pictures and videos and comment on them. According to the Ofcom study, few parents are aware of social media platforms’ age restriction as eight out of 10 parents whose kids use Snapchat, or Instagram indicated so. And at least four out of 10 parents express they wouldn’t restrict their underaged children from using the platforms.<\/p>\n

Research conducted by MinorMonitor, a platform that advocates for the proper monitoring of children on Facebook, revealed that up to 38% of Facebook accounts<\/a> were owned by children of age 12 and under.<\/p>\n

And according to the Ziff Davis Network, a business tech news website, 74% of parents are concerned<\/a> about their children’s safety on Facebook platforms. 56% of the 1,000-parent sample also expressed concerns about sexual predators finding their kids on the platform.<\/p>\n

Late in 2019, a joint international campaign by an International Group of Human Rights NGOs referred to Instagram as a \u201cpredator\u2019s paradise<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince July, we have collected hundreds of samples of sexual, predatory comments on underage girls\u2019 Instagram posts. What we\u2019ve found shows that sexualization and harassment of underage girls on Instagram is rampant,” a press release from the campaigners reads. “By giving adults unfettered access to children and facilitating the transmission of sexual comments\u2014including requests for sexual content\u2014from adults to children, Instagram is complicit in the harm of underage girls.<\/p>\n

“If technology and social media companies are going to allow minors on their platform in any capacity, then they must provide adequate measures to keep children safe from sexual predators,\u201d said Lyn Kennedy of Collective Shout campaigner.<\/p>\n

Instagram, like all Facebook platforms, has little control of the problem. Before now, the only solution the platform proffered is that if any adult discovers a minor using its platform, they should advise them to delete the account.<\/a> Instagram also says under 13 users can be reported by filling out a form<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instagram’s plans for preteens<\/h4>\n

Knowing young users are going around its policies on age limit, Facebook is currently looking into introducing a children’s version<\/a> of the network for children and adolescents under the age of 13, according to Variety. This was first reported on March 18, earlier this year.<\/p>\n

The background to this is that many young people give the wrong age and thus create accounts on Instagram, for example, despite the age limit.<\/p>\n

A representative from Facebook has confirmed the project. \u201cWe\u2019re exploring bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram to help kids keep up with their friends, discover new hobbies and interests, and more,\u201d company spokesperson Joe Osborne said to Variety.<\/p>\n

According to Osborne, \u201cIncreasingly, kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends. Right now, there aren\u2019t many options for parents, so we\u2019re working on building additional products \u2014 like we did with Messenger Kids \u2014 that are suitable for kids, managed by parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s not the first time Facebook will be designing a platform for kids. In 2017, the group launched a version of Messenger for kids<\/a>, Messenger Kids.<\/p>\n

According to Facebook, “the new app [Messenger Kids] makes it easier for kids to safely video chat and message with family and friends when they can’t be together in person.”<\/p>\n

It continues in the press release saying, “millions of parents are part of Messenger community, and they asked us for controllable solutions that let them message with their children.”<\/p>\n

“We heard that they were looking for better apps for their children to use, and from there, we worked directly with parents and kids along with experts in child development, online safety, and children’s media to help build our first app for kids. Messenger Kids is a standalone app that lives on kids’ tablets or smartphones but can be controlled from a parent’s Facebook account,” the release reads.<\/p>\n

Criticisms of the new project<\/h4>\n

The parent company Facebook sees a safe space in a child-friendly version of Instagram, but child advocates are warning against it. In an open letter<\/a>, they ask Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to give up his plans for an Instagram for children. Around 100 groups and individuals signed the message, including the CCFC.<\/p>\n

According to the signatories of the petition, led by the organization in Boston, which is making a stand against Facebook’s new plan for a kid version of Instagram, a children’s version is still the wrong way to go.<\/p>\n

“A growing body of research demonstrates that excessive use of digital devices and social media is harmful to adolescents,” the argument against Facebook’s plan began.<\/p>\n

According to the petitioners, “Instagram, in particular, exploits young people\u2019s fear of missing out and desire for peer approval to encourage children and teens to constantly check their devices and share photos with their followers.”<\/p>\n

The group also fears that Facebook’s popularity in the quest for branding, self-presentation, and appearance may affect children, as they cannot manage the challenges.<\/p>\n

“The platform\u2019s relentless focus on appearance, self-presentation, and branding presents challenges to adolescents\u2019 privacy and wellbeing,” the group says. “Younger children are even less developmentally equipped to deal with these challenges, as they are learning to navigate social interactions, friendships, and their inner sense of strengths and challenges during this crucial window of development.”<\/p>\n

The letter continues further: “Young children are highly persuadable by algorithmic prediction of what they might click on next, and we are very concerned about how automated decision making would determine what children see and experience on a kids\u2019 Instagram platform.”<\/p>\n

According to the group, while collecting family data valuable to Facebook and cultivating new generations of Instagram users may be a prospect to Facebook, it’s going to increase the vulnerability of children to manipulative and exploitative trends of predators and Facebook.<\/p>\n

“Adolescent girls report feeling pressure to post sexualized selfies as a means of generating attention and social acceptance from their peers,” the letter continues. “Additionally, social media platforms including Instagram are rife with child sexual abuse materials and online exploitation of young users \u2013 in 2020 alone, Facebook and Instagram reported 20 million child sexual abuse images. Instagram has faced criticism for failing to respond to reports of exploitation in a timely manner.”<\/p>\n

The group argued further from another angle, saying “children between the ages of ten and twelve who already have Instagram accounts are unlikely to switch to a babyish version of the platform after they have already experienced the reality.”<\/p>\n

Facebook’s defense<\/h4>\n

Facebook has, however, defended its plans. In a statement made by spokeswoman, Stephanie Otway<\/a>, Facebook says, “the reality is that children are online.”<\/p>\n

“They want to connect, have fun, and learn with their family and friends, and we want to help them do it in a safe and age-appropriate manner,” says Ms. Otway, as reported by the NYTimes.<\/p>\n

Family checklists for parents of kids using social media<\/h4>\n

While it doesn’t look like Facebook will be going ahead with its plan for kids on Instagram, parents can safeguard their children by doing the following:<\/p>\n