Is Instagram hitting the pause on its kids’ version a victim of its Teen Age Mental Health Report?

Adam Mosseri the Head of Instagram at Facebook announced on his blog recently that they are Pausing development of the “Instagram Kids” and focusing in building parental supervision tools. Mosseri explains that Instagram is not abandoning the project but taking time to discuss with parents, experts and policymakers to demonstrate the value and need for this product.

This action from Instagram come close behind the reporting on its own report on “Teen Mental Health Deep Dive” by Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Sept 14, 2021 under its investigative series “The Facebook Files”. WSJ report is based on internal Facebook team’s research been conducted over the last 18 months.

The WSJ Report

Some of the key findings of the Instagram reports as per WSJ are :

1. Instagram makes body image issues worse for one in three teen girls

2. Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression

3. Among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the desire to kill themselves to Instagram

The penetration of the social networks among teens is well established. WSJ goes on to look at why Instagram having this effect as opposed to the other social networks popular among the teens. While TikTok is focused on performance, Snapchat encourages jokey filters that keep the focus on the face. As against Instagram focuses heavily on the body and lifestyle. The pressure to look perfect on Instagram can send teens spiralling toward eating disorders, an unhealthy sense of their own bodies and depression.

The Facebook Counter

Facebook’s Head of Research Pratiti Raychoudhury in her blog has counter the WSJ observation saying.

1. Facebook engages in internal research to improve experience for teens, and that internal reports highlight the worst possible results of Instagram usage to focus executives on solving the most pressing problems.

2. Roychoudhury pointed out that in 11 of 12 categories on a studied in the report referenced by WSJ, more teenage girls facing serious issues such as loneliness and anxiety said that Instagram had a positive impact on those challenges.

3. Body image was the sole area where Instagram made an existing issue worse.

4. The research had its limitations because it relied on input from just 40 teenagers as it sought the most negative perceptions of Instagram.

The Final Take

Pausing “Instagram Kids” & working towards parental control will take the project out of the media focus for now. Facebook’s larger problem is the long-running cynicism amaong the policymakers and other consumer interest groups when it comes to having users’ best interests in mind is yet open to question.