US attorneys general urge Facebook to drop Instagram for children proposal

Facebook said it is simply “exploring” Instagram for children and would make every effort to protect them and would not show advertising on such a platform

Children under 13 are technically not allowed to use the Instagram app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations (Nick Ansell/PA)

A bipartisan group of 44 US attorneys general has written to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop company plans for a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13.

The attorneys general in the letter said they are concerned about social media’s effects on the physical and emotional wellbeing of children, the potential for increased cyberbullying, possible vulnerability to online predators, and what they called Facebook’s “chequered record” in protecting children on its platforms.