Tech Talk: Religious leaders call on Zuckerberg to scrap Instagram Kids plans – Gulf Digital News

Tech Talk: Religious leaders call on Zuckerberg to scrap Instagram Kids plans – Gulf Digital News

Reverends, rabbis and other religious leaders urged Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to permanently stop the company's plan for an Instagram version aimed at young users on Tuesday, in a letter sent by advocacy group Fairplay and their Children's Screen Time Action Network.

Since last September, Instagram has paused its plans to introduce a version of the photo-sharing app for kids, as opposition to the project grew.

"After much meditation and prayer, we assert that social media platforms that target immature brains, practice unethical data mining, and are inspired by profit motives are not a tool for the greater good of children," said the letter, which was signed by more than 70 religious leaders.

Instagram and its parent company, Meta Platforms  formerly Facebook, have come under intense scrutiny over the potential impact of their services on the mental health, body image and safety of young users, including after whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents about the company's approach to younger users.

In December, Instagram head Adam Mosseri was grilled about children's online safety by a Senate panel. A coalition of state attorneys general has also opened a probe into Meta for promoting Instagram to children despite potential harms. read more

Meta has said