Social networks have become one of the windows to the world. This can be, like almost everything, a good thing or a bad thing. The problem is that, so that the use of applications such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter is not a problem, it is necessary to be very clear how to use them, and what dangers there may be.
That is why social media and many messaging apps don’t allow under-13s to have profiles in the same.
This on Twitter is perhaps not a problem given that the user profile is very specific and the topics to be covered are rarely of interest to tweens, at least in general. On Instagram the story is different.
Instagram knows that there are users under the age of 13
Although the conditions of use of the social network require a minimum age, the reality is that it is too easy to bypass this restriction when creating an account. There are many children and adolescents who want to have an account even before they are of legal age.
That is why the developers and managers of the company have confirmed that they are working on a special version of Instagram in which users under 13 years of age would be.
Three potential problems
Without further details of the idea, there are already three issues that come to the fore. To get started, 12-13 year old users may not want to use that app since the content creators, influencers and celebrities are in the main application.
On the other hand, if the pedophiles They were already using social networks to register with false profiles in search of prey, imagine how easy it would be for them to have a social network in which, de facto, all are minors.
Obviously Instagram can create a complex registration process that involves steps such as the use of an identity card or similar, but in countries like Spain this is not mandatory at those ages.
Finally, the monetization of the application comes from the hand of purchases and services as well as advertisements, but is it a good idea to do that with minors? Many will see it, at least, immoral, if not illegal.
The development of the application would be directed by Pavni Diwanji, one of the people in charge of Youtube Kids. But having a successful manager does not prevent failures, like the one with the Facebook children’s messaging app.
We will have to wait and see how the idea of Instagram evolves, but we currently see more disadvantages than advantages.
The entry Instagram will have a children’s version for children under 13 appears first in The Free Android.
