DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Lawmakers to Zuckerberg: Drop “Instagram for kids;” it’s making them suicidal

Sep 16, 2021 by Dunja Djudjic Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Facebook’s controversial “Instagram for kids” got under the spotlight again. The company’s own internal report has shown that Instagram has been causing mental-health problems in teenagers, especially girls, including even suicidal thoughts. After the report has leaked, Democratic lawmakers have started calling on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg again to drop the project.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Facebook was well aware of the harm Instagram could cause to teenage girls. Instagram researchers had reportedly studied the impact of the app’s influence on its young users, and the resulting data was devastating.

“We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” the researchers reportedly wrote in a presentation. It was intended for Facebook’s internal use, but the slides were obtained by the WSJ. According to one slide, 32% percent of teen girls said the app made them feel worse about their bodies. As if that’s not concerning enough, “13% of British users and 6% of American users traced the desire to kill themselves to Instagram,” the WSJ writes, citing the presentation.

Two top lawmakers on the Senate Commerce Committee’s panel over consumer protection have taken this case. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn said that they were in touch with “a Facebook whistleblower” and that they would do an investigation of the report.

“It is clear that Facebook is incapable of holding itself accountable. The Wall Street Journal’s reporting reveals Facebook’s leadership to be focused on a growth-at-all-costs mindset that valued profits over the health and lives of children and teens,” the lawmakers said. “When given the opportunity to come clean to us about their knowledge of Instagram’s impact on young users, Facebook provided evasive answers that were misleading and covered up clear evidence of significant harm.”

The devastating data reminded me of two extreme cases. In 2014, a young boy attempted to take his own life because he was reportedly dissatisfied with his selfies. A teenage girl took her own life in 2019 after her followers voted for her to do it on her Instagram poll. Thankfully, not all cases are this heavy, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take them seriously. Many kids and young adults suffer from body dysmorphia, and social networks only make it worse. This leads to a series of mental health issues: eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and in the most extreme cases: self-harm, suicide, and death.

The project has already been condemned by 44 US Attorneys General and the public. So, this isn’t the first attempt to shut it down before it even comes to be. Honestly, I hope that it works and that we’ll never see “Instagram for kids.” This “regular” Instagram is more than enough.

If anyone is struggling and needs someone to speak to, you can contact these helplines 24 hours a day, seven days a week:

UK: Samaritans: 116 123

US: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

Australia: Lifeline: 13 11 14

Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.

[via Gizmodo]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Public pressures Zuckerberg to give up on Instagram for kids What could possibly go wrong? Facebook is building an Instagram app for kids under 13 44 US Attorneys General: “Hey, Instagram, leave them kids alone” Backlash forces Facebook to suspend “Instagram for kids.” For now

Filed Under: news Tagged With: family photography, Instagram, kids photography, social media

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 and 28-75mm f/2.8 images and specs leak ahead of October announcement
How to photograph violins like the Stradivarius magazine »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Sirui Sniper series T1.2 AF lenses are now available to buy
  • These are five problems with your woodland photos, and how to fix them
  • Yul Brynner’s personal Leica cameras sold for over $3 million at an auction
  • Terry Richardson faces new sexual assault lawsuits from former models
  • Holiday Gift Guide – Our favourite new lenses of 2023

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy