Facebook is working on a version of Instagram that children under the age of 13 can use. At least that is stated in an internal memo that has been leaked to the press. Instagram is not for kids of that age right now, as per the service’s policy.
Instagram considers young people a priority, Vishal Shah, Instagram’s vice president of the product division, wrote to employees on Thursday, according to Buzzfeed News . That memo states that the Community Product Group is going to focus on the work that needs to be done on integrity and privacy to make Instagram safe for teens. In addition, the team is building a version for children under 13, who are using Instagram for the first time. Further details about that version are not yet known.
The work will be led by Pavni Diwanji, who was previously responsible for YouTube Kids at Google and joined Facebook in December last year. The leak of the memo follows a statement from Instagram on Tuesday, indicating that it was going to do more to protect young users. In addition, the service emphasized that users must now be over 13 years old.
Instagram is working on artificial intelligence to verify that users are not lying about their age. In addition, the service blocks the possibility for adults to send messages to young people if they do not follow them.
