Facebook heard from Enough Is Enough (the petition sponsor) and from Congress, and put its plan for Instagram for Kids under 13 on “pause.” But that’s not enough, and we need your help!

A full victory can’t be declared until Meta, the newly-named parent company of Facebook and Instagram, (1) permanently ABOLISHES this irresponsible plan entirely, (2) fully implements age-verification technology to keep kids under 13 years old off Instagram/Facebook, (3) implements stronger safety protocols for 13–17-year-olds on BOTH Facebook and Instagram, and (4) develops parental control tools that work and empower parents to protect their children on their platforms.

On December 8, in response to pressure to do more to shield its young users from harmful content, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testified for the first time before Congress, indicating the platform would begin to introduce parental controls beginning March, 2022. This was a specific petition action request from Enough Is Enough!

 However, when pressed, he refused to commit to permanently end the “paused plans” to create a version of the platform for kids under 13!

 We need your help to make sure Instagram ABOLISHES this plan altogether!

While they made a few steps in the right direction in announcing plans to offer more safety protocols on its platform, we need to hold Instagram accountable to follow through on its plans and do all Enough Is Enough and the Senate Committee is demanding!

Recent Senate Testimony shows why this is critical:

“I believe that the time for self-policing and self-regulation is over,” “Self-policing depends on trust. Trust is over.”
- Senator Richard Blumenthal, Chair of Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety to Instagram Head Adam Mosseri during 12/8/21 Senate Hearing

- Frances Haugen, Former Facebook manager turned whistleblower

• Haugen told a Senate subcommittee that Facebook and Instagram can be addictive and harmful to children.
• She came armed with thousands of key documents, one of which showed that Facebook researchers knew Instagram was toxic for teenage girls.
• Haugen said, “Facebook knows they are leading young users to anorexia content.” She also said the company actively seeks to attract children to its platforms, especially Instagram, because “they understand the value of younger users for the long-term success of Facebook.”
• “Facebook exploited teens using powerful algorithms to amplify their insecurities,” emphasized Senator Richard Blumenthal, the chairman of the subcommittee.

It’s clear that Facebook's current efforts to empower parents to keep their kids safe are sadly lacking:

• If parents are concerned about a photo or video that violates their child’s privacy, they can’t take it down if the child is 13 years old and above!
• If a child is under 13, parents need to request the removal of the image of their child by filling out a form! This is nonsense and a reckless practice!