Facebook plans to create an Instagram app for children under 13 years old, to provide them with an age-appropriate alternative to its existing and hugely popular photo-sharing app. This report delves into people’s opinions about Facebook’s latest decision to target children as part of their business plans.

Facebook’s move to launch an Instagram app for pre-teens has already met with a lot of resistance from various quarters. Over 100 public health groups and experts from around the world have written to Mark Zuckerberg about the platform’s potential negative impact, while more than 40 US lawmakers are pressurizing Facebook to scrap its plans. The decision, and criticisms of it, come at a time when both Facebook and its subsidiaries are enduring immense scrutiny of their policies and conduct. The upcoming Instagram platform has now raised fresh concerns and reignited debate over the issues of children’s mental health, safety, and privacy. Will the new app give parents more visibility and control over their children’s activities, as claimed by the company, or will it be yet another danger that adults will have to protect their children from? Piplsay polled 27,800 Americans and 5,000 Britons nationwide to get some insights. Here is a summary of what we found:

Other Insights

• 67% of men and 51% of women in the US support the idea of an Instagram platform for children
• 52% of women and 48% of men in the UK do not support Facebook’s decision to launch an Instagram app for kids
• 60% of women in the US and 52% in the UK do not trust Facebook to keep children’s data safe as compared to 40% of men in the US and 48% in the UKand 49% in the UK

Survey Methodology: This Piplsay survey was conducted nationwide in the US and the UK from May 21-23, 2021. We received 27,800 and 5,000 online responses respectively from individuals aged 18 years and older.