It looks like Meta executive Pavni Diwanji is heading out the door as the “Instagram for Kids” app idea developed by Diwanji is unlikely to move forward anytime soon.
Of course, none of this is really surprising given the changes over at Meta in just the past few months. Last year was a bit of a chaotic one for the company, from weathering multiple scandals to a corporate name change, so executive shifts aren’t really surprising at this point.
As The Wall Street Journal points out, the planned app would be for kids under 13. Yet, after a series of scandals that would bring even more scrutiny to Meta’s most popular service, this new venture was just didn’t seem viable anymore. Some scandals that Instagram faced last year include bullying, promoting poor body images, and even a human trafficking issue. The WSJ also notes a report they released that specifically outlined how younger users are critical to Instagram’s growth moving forward. That leaves the question as to how Meta will handle that market pretty much up in the air at this point because we’re sure they’re not going to ignore it entirely if it is as key to their growth as the WSJ indicates.
Still, not everything is bad news for social media. Facebook and Instagram’s recent ban in Russia after providing people there with an unfiltered view of the invasion of Ukraine shows just one of the more powerful ways in which social media can be used for the greater good. If you missed our stories on that, you can check them out here and here.
What do you think of social media apps targeting kids? Let us know your thoughts on Meta’s now-paused “Instagram for Kids” in the comments below.
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