Facebook working on Instagram for kids under age 13

Facebook is working on a new version of Instagram that would be only for kids who are aged under 13.

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said that a version of the popular photo-sharing app is currently being explored.

“Kids are increasingly asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends,” Mosseri said in a tweet.

Protecting young people on Instagram is so important to us. Some updates on this work: restricting DMs between teens and adults they don't follow, encouraging teens to make their accounts private, and prompting them to be careful in DMs. https://t.co/cVFYFpOcPu pic.twitter.com/kmGwebg1Fo

— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) March 16, 2021

Currently, users who are above 13 can create an account for themselves on Instagram. The company is aware that people lie while filling up the details to make an account on the photo-sharing app. But now Instagram could use artificial intelligence to determine the correct age of the user. The plan was shared in the recent blog put out by Instagram.

“We have banned adults from direct messaging teenagers who don’t follow them and introduce ‘safety prompts’ that will be shown to teens when they DM adults who have been ‘exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior’,” Instagram said in a statement.

Safety prompts will give teenage users the option to report or block adults who are messaging them.

Instagram also announced a new Parents’ Guide with expert partners for more countries, including India.