Saying that “children’s wellbeing must come first” above profit, dozens of faith leaders on Tuesday told Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg to permanently end any plans for a version of the photo- and video-sharing app Instagram for kids under 13.
Following public outcry, Instagram—owned by Facebook parent company Meta—announced in September a pause on plans for a version of the platform specifically for kids. But, the faith leaders wrote in their letter (pdf), “a pause is not enough. Instagram poses a danger to young children, as your own research indicates.”
The letter was led by the child advocacy group Fairplay and includes signatories representing more than 20 faiths and denominations, who “assert that social media platforms that target immature brains, practice unethical data mining, and are inspired by profit motives are not a tool for the greater good of children.”
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