John,

Just when you thought Facebook couldn’t get worse, it invents a fresh kind of hell -- Instagram for Kids.

Leaked documents show the social media giant is building a photo-sharing app for under-13s -- hoping to get them hooked early on likes and comments about their appearance, and harvest their data for profit.

But a growing chorus is speaking out against the plan, with child development experts pleading with Mark Zuckerberg to drop it. Facebook didn’t want the world to know about this yet -- it’s on the back foot. If we ramp up the pressure we could end this nightmare before it starts. 

Tell Mark Zuckerberg to leave our kids alone

Instagram is already a nightmare for children, with teenagers getting harassed and abused on a constant basis -- 59% of teens have been bullied online, and surveys show Instagram is the worst offender.

Psychologists say it would be even more harmful for smaller children, who are at a crucial stage of development and just can’t cope with the relentless pressure of social media.

Facebook claims it’s doing this to make kids safer -- because it can’t keep them off regular Instagram. But that’s like saying we should make child-friendly cigarettes to stop kids from smoking. It doesn’t make sense.

There’s no “safe” way for Mark Zuckerberg to profit off our children -- we need to push back as hard as we can before it’s too late. Add your name:

Tell Mark Zuckerberg to leave our kids alone