Main image via Time Magazine + The Guardian
With younger and younger people having access to the internet and social media, many steps are being put in place to create a safe space for those under 18.
Recently, Instagram announced that they are introducing a new feature that will ban adults from messaging teens under 18 and now, they’ve announced that they are currently working on a new version exclusively for under 13s.
via GIPHY
For now, Instagram only allows those over the age of 13 to create an account however, the social media platform’s bosses have acknowledged that there are many users who lie about their date of birth when signing up.
In an effort to creating a safer environment, the app has been implementing new features to “make Instagram safer for the youngest members of our community,” Vice President of Product Vishal Shah reportedly told the platform’s employees, adding that the company is making “youth work” a priority.
“I’m excited to announce that going forward, we have identified youth work as a priority for Instagram and have added it to out H1 priority list,” Vishal’s internal staff announcement shared, BuzzFeed News reported.
“We will be building a new youth pillar within the Community Product Group to focus on two things: (a) accelerating our integrity and privacy work to ensure the safest possible experience for teens and (b) building a version of Instagram that allows people under the age of 13 to safely use Instagram for the first time.”
via GIPHY
For now, it is unclear what the under-13s app will consist of or if it would be exactly like the original but with more safety features, but it all ties in with the platform’s quest to protect its young users.
The post also noted that work on the new app will personallby be overseen by Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and led by Vice President Pavni Diwanji.
The new announcement comes days after Instagram shared its new feature that bans adults from DM-ing teens under 18 who were not following them back.
During the announcement, the platform’s bosses acknowledged the underaged issue and explained that they were working on developing technology that will be capable of predicting the age of users from their images.
“To address this challenge, we’re developing new artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to help us keep teens safer and apply new age-appropriate features,” the blog post wrote.
via GIPHY
Kudos to Instagram for continuously taking steps to ensure the safety of all their users, even the young ones!
We’re looking forward to seeing what else the app will introduce in the future.
What other safety features do you think Instagram should add? Let us know!
Info via UNILAD