In mid-March of this year, the BuzzFeed medium stated that on Instagram they were working on a version of Instagram for children under 13 years old. It should be remembered that the minimum age to use this platform is 14 years old.
This idea, as far-fetched as it may seem from a parent's point of view (as is my case) has been officially confirmed By facebook despite the rejection expressed by various organizations when this information was leaked through the Commercial-Free Childhood campaign, a campaign created by 35 consumer and child advocacy organizations.
As stated from the post published on Facebook where the company has confirmed the news:
We are looking for ways to reduce the incentive for those under 13 to lie about their age. The reality is that they are already online and since there is no foolproof way to prevent people from misrepresenting their age, we want to create experiences designed specifically for them, managed by parents and guardians.
This includes a new Instagram experience for tweens. We believe that encouraging them to use an age-appropriate, parent-managed experience is the right way to go.
Does Facebook really think that children under 13 will use a capped version of Instagram without having access to the same type of content that they currently have? It seems that whoever has the ideas on Facebook does not have children or know people who do.
Safety of minors on the platform
Facebook claims that accounts for minors will focus on three pillars to offer a more secure and private experience on Instagram:
- By default, accounts that are activated by children under 13 will be private (it does not specify if it can be made public or if only parents can make the change). In this way, other users will not be able to comment on the content published by children.
- Make it harder for potentially suspicious accounts to find young people.
- Limit the options advertisers have to reach young people with ads.
Mark Zuckberg's company claims that some countries such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia are using technology that will help the company to find accounts that have exhibited potentially suspicious behavior, that is, adult accounts that may have been blocked or reported in the past by a young person.
Data collection
Regarding the subject of data collection and advertising:
Within a few weeks, advertisers will only be allowed to target people under the age of 18 (or older in certain countries) based on their age, gender, and location.
This means that previously available targeting options, such as those based on interests or your activity on other apps and websites, will no longer be available to advertisers. These changes will be global and will apply to Instagram, Facebook and Messenger.
Summing up: what will not track user activity to target your ads. Tell me another Facebook.
In defense of minors
The Commercial-Free Childhood campaign affirms that this version for the little ones will make them more vulnerable and manipulable and that it is focused on those who still do not have an account on the platform.
The true audience for a children's version of Instagram will be much younger children who currently do not have accounts on the platform.
While collecting valuable family data and cultivating a new generation of Instagram users may be good for Facebook results, it will likely increase the use of the app by young children who are particularly vulnerable to manipulative and manipulative characteristics. exploiters of the platform.
Facebook has been characterized in recent years by continuously lying, so there has come a time when it does not we can create absolutely nothing of what it says.
When it states that it will not allow to create campaigns based on the data collected by the application Who is going to believe it? The more data you offer advertisers to target, the more money they will pay for ad campaigns.
Facebook's decision to create a capped version (according to them) of Instagram is aimed at expand user base to whom to target advertising. I am very grateful that the thinking minds of Instagram and Facebook (which are ultimately the same) have children under the age of 13, as I mentioned above.
To some extent I can understand that it is difficult to verify the real age of the users. Mark Zuckerberg's platform can rely on the different parental control tools that both iOS and Android make available to users.
But of course, that does not interest them and they demonstrate once again what Francisco de Quevedo said: Mr money is a powerful gentleman. Let's hope that the European Union will take action on the matter when this version is launched in Europe.
