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Facebook’s plans for an Instagram app allowing kids under 13 to share photos and content are dangerous and reckless. 44 US Attorneys General are asking Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to abandon these plans. Targeting and inviting children under 13 to use Instagram is irresponsible and dangerous. Sign now to demand Facebook to drop plans for Instagram for kids.
SIGN THE PETITION |
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Dear John,
We regularly joins forces with Enough is Enough to prioritize the safety and privacy of children and families on the internet. This petition echoes the concerns of law enforcement across the United States. Facebook’s plans for an Instagram app allowing kids under 13 to share photos and content are dangerous and reckless. Reports of child sexual exploitation online are at pandemic levels: 43% of 8-13 year-olds are speaking to strangers online using social media and gaming platforms; sexting by minor children increased by 186% during the pandemic. I am asking that you take a moment to be a part of a movement that will protect children and families. We must continue to speak up until Facebook permanently ABOLISHES this irresponsible plan.
Demand Facebook drop plans for Instagram for kids.
Social media platforms have yet to put into place age-verification technologies to ensure that its existing users are indeed 13 years or older to comply with laws that make it illegal to collect or store the personal information of children under age 13. Currently, kids can simply lie about their age to create an account. For far too long, we’ve watched social media and big tech line their pockets while children and youth in the US and globally have been put at unprecedented risks of sexual predation, trafficking and exploitation, all while their social, physical and mental health remains under relentless attack. How can we rely on Big Tech to put the best interests of younger children in place? The simple answer is -- we can’t and we shouldn’t. There is a movement of parents and all those who are concerned about the safety and wellbeing of children right here. Will you join?
Add your name: demand Facebook drop plans for Instagram for kids.
Children’s curiosity makes them vulnerable to exploitation, whether it is by pornographers, predators, bullies or Big Tech. The COVID pandemic fueled the internet-enabled exploitation of children exponentially: 2020 was a record-breaking year, with more than 21.7 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation made to NCMEC’s CyberTipline. These materials contained suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and other incident related content. This marks the highest number of reports ever received in one year – a 28% increase over 2019. Just as disturbing, NCMEC reported a 97.5% increase in online enticement reports. Yet, in spite of the vulnerability of youth in the most dire of times, Facebook, which owns Instagram, has focused its attention on attracting younger users onto its Instagram platform. It’s time for the tech industry to be part of the solution, not the problem. We must not allow them to white wash attempts to take advantage of children’s innocence in the name of the almighty dollar.
Sign now to demand Facebook to drop plans for Instagram for kids. Sincerely, Gregory Mertz and the entire CitizenGO Team P.S. I hope that you will stand with this campaign and the 44 Attorneys General to demand that you drop your plans for Instagram for kids app. Children are not emotionally or mentally equipped to handle the obstacles and challenges encountered through social media use. Your signature is a quick way to join all those concerned. --
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