Instagram 'exploring' a version of app for kids under 13

Last Updated: March 19, 2021 at 8:41 a.m. ET First Published: March 18, 2021 at 8:55 p.m. ET Facebook-owned photo app says parents would still ‘have control’ Instagram and Facebook currently require users to be at least 13 years old. AFP/Getty Images In a move certain to generate controversy, Instagram is developing a version of the popular photo-sharing app for users 13 and under. BuzzFeed News first reported the project Thursday, and it was later confirmed by an Instagram executive. Currently, Instagram’s policy doesn’t allow users under 13. Instagram is owned by Facebook Inc. FB, +4.15%, which also has a minimum age of 13. Despite the restrictions, a number of children under 13 have surreptitious accounts on both sites. Citing postings from an internal message board at Instagram, BuzzFeed reported the new app would be developed by Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and Pavni Diwanji, a Facebook executive who previously oversaw children’s-focused products, including YouTube Kids, while working at Alphabet’s GOOGL, +0.21% Google. In a tweet Thursday, posted after the BuzzFeed report was published, Mosseri said: “Kids are increasingly asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends. A version of Instagram where…
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