Louisiana Attorney General Opposes New Instagram for Kids

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry says he and other state AGs have major concerns about child safety on the new Instagram platform for kids.

Facebook is building a version of Instagram they will market to kids. Currently, the rules of Instagram forbid a child 13 or younger to create an account. BuzzFeed News got hold of an internal Instagram post on their employee message board that said this new project is high on their priority list, according to Instagram’s Vice President of Product Vishal Shah.

AG Landry has joined with 44 other state attorneys general and sent a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg, asking the company to abandon building the new Instagram for Kids platform. The bipartisan group of state law enforcement leaders has serious concerns about the safety of the platform and want to try and protect their states' children from online predators and cyber-bullies.

Landry said this in a press release:

While the Internet can be a great resource for learning and fun, cyberspace can also be a dangerous place for Louisiana’s kids. From oversharing to cyberbullying, children on social media with just a couple of clicks can find themselves in embarrassing situations and dangerous predicaments.

He said the risks are too great and referenced studies and research he said show a clear link between children using social media and mental distress, self-injury, and suicide. He went on to say kids are not mentally mature enough to navigate the challenges of having social media accounts.

You can read the full letter from Attorney General Landry here.