Two children using a mobile device.Photo: getty
Facebook is building a version of Instagram that will be tailored to children under the age of 13, PEOPLE confirms.
Messenger Kids debuted in late 2017 as a privacy-focused app for children, according toTech Crunch.
To use the app, parents download it to their child’s smart device, set up a profile for them and then approve whom they can interact with. The new version of Instagram seems to be built around the same considerations.
“We’re exploring bringing a parent-controlled experience to Instagram to help kids keep up with their friends, discover new hobbies and interests, and more,” Facebook says.
Instagram on a phone.Press Association via AP Images
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, told theoutletthat the company has “to do a lot here,” but “part of the solution is to create a version of Instagram for young people or kids where parents have transparency or control. It’s one of the things we’re exploring.”
RELATED VIDEO: How High School Basketball Player Ryan Ang Got Kids Off the Couch During Quarantine
The news of the new version of Instagram comes during the same week the company announced it would beadding more safety features for teens on the main app.
The company will now prevent adults from direct messaging minors if the minor doesn’t already follow them and send teens notices if the adult they’re interacting with has “been exhibiting suspicious behavior,” such as sending “a large amount of friend or message requests to people under 18.”
source: people.com
