A coalition of attorneys general, including Michigan’s, is reaching out to Facebook and is urging the company not to launch Instagram for Kids. Instagram is one of the company’s social media products.
In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and others in the National Association of Attorneys General expressed concern based on Facebook’s track record with monitoring social media and the research that shows that social media is harmful to children’s physical, emotional, and mental health.
Nessel said, “With research rating Instagram as the worst social media platform for youth mental health, it’s hard to imagine that this launch is about anything other than expanding the already lucrative Instagram franchise. Introducing children to this social media environment poses serious threats to their security and wellbeing and I urge Facebook to reconsider its plans for this new platform.”
The letter states that the risks to mental health far outweigh any benefits of an Instagram platform tailored to kids under the age of 13. Kids under 13 are prohibited from using Instagram, currently.
A link to the full letter:
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/ag/NAAG_Letter_to_Facebook_-_Final_724678_7.pdf
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
