September, 27 2021, 11:45am EDT
After a 6 Month Campaign Led by Fairplay, Facebook Pauses Planned Instagram for Kids
Today, after a six-month campaign led by Fairplay, Facebook announced they are pausing their plans for a kids' version of Instagram. In April, Fairplay (then called Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) sent a letter signed by over 100 child development experts and advocates demanding Facebook scrap their plans. Since then, leading members of Congress, 44 state attorneys general, and over 200,000 concerned individuals have joined Fairplay in calling on Facebook to shelve Instagram Youth.
WASHINGTON
Today, after a six-month campaign led by Fairplay, Facebook announced they are pausing their plans for a kids' version of Instagram. In April, Fairplay (then called Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood) sent a letter signed by over 100 child development experts and advocates demanding Facebook scrap their plans. Since then, leading members of Congress, 44 state attorneys general, and over 200,000 concerned individuals have joined Fairplay in calling on Facebook to shelve Instagram Youth.
Below is a statement from Fairplay's Executive Director, Josh Golin:
"Six months ago, when word leaked that Facebook was planning a kids' version of Instagram, it was assumed the project was a done deal because Facebook usually does whatever it wants. But we knew the stakes were too high. So, we organized parents, advocates, experts, regulators, and lawmakers to pressure Facebook to scrap its plans. Today is a watershed moment for the growing tech accountability movement and a great day for anyone who believes that children's wellbeing should come before Big Tech's profits. We commend Facebook for listening to the many voices who have loudly and consistently told them that Instagram Youth will result in significant harms to children.
We urge Facebook to use this "pause" to actually engage with the independent child development experts who understand how Instagram Youth will undermine young children's wellbeing. We also call on Facebook to immediately release its internal research that shows Instagram is harmful to teens. We won't stop pressuring Facebook until they permanently pull the plug on IG Youth and take real steps to make their platform safer for teens."
Fairplay, formerly known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, educates the public about commercialism's impact on kids' wellbeing and advocates for the end of child-targeted marketing. Fairplay organizes parents to hold corporations accountable for their marketing practices, advocates for policies to protect kids, and works with parents and professionals to reduce children's screen time.
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The anti-war group CodePink said Hajjaj immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was two months old, and has lost approximately 20 family members to Israel's bombardment of Gaza since October.
The group targeted Austin's testimony a month after the Biden administration released its 2025 budget request—a proposal that includes $1.1 trillion in military-related spending. Despite growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and rights advocates, the White House has not announced conditions for military aid to Israel, which has been widely accused of human rights violations as it has assaulted Gaza and blocked humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians.
Israel's bombardment has killed at least 33,899 Palestinians so far, and more than two dozen people have died of starvation in recent months as international experts have warned parts of northern Gaza are facing famine.
At least 13,000 children have been killed, and the United Nations reported in February that 70% of those killed overall have been women and children—even as Israel and the U.S. have insisted Israeli forces are targeting Hamas.
The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling in January saying Israel is "plausibly" committing genocide in Gaza, and lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have expressed support for the ruling—but the U.S. has dismissed the court's findings, including at Austin's hearing last week.
While Hajjaj held up her son at Wednesday's hearing, another protester, identified by CodePink as Helen, addressed the defense secretary.
"Secretary Austin, why are you denying Israel's genocide in Gaza? Why are you denying genocide in Gaza?" said Helen, who was arrested after being led out of the hearing. "The whole world sees it! You know the laws of war! You know you have blood on your hands! You have blood on your hands! We have blood on our hands."
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Outside the hearing room, Hajjaj emphasized that the Biden administration has "the power to stop" Israel's attacks on Gaza by cutting off its military aid—of which the U.S. is the largest international supplier. The Foreign Assistance Act stipulates that the U.S. cannot provide military funding to countries that block American humanitarian aid.
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González found that the five largest military contracts to major tech firms between 2018 and 2022 "had contract ceilings totaling at least $53 billion combined."
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The risk of conflicts of interest increases as military-dependent tech companies go public.
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About 4,000 Volkswagen workers in Tennessee are voting on whether to unionize with the United Auto Workers. Labor journalist @hamiltonnolan says it's the most important union vote in years and could be the "first domino" in a wider push to organize the auto industry in the South. pic.twitter.com/RWFnO5KznI
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) April 17, 2024
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