Instagram for kids under 13 is still in development, and it’s already caused a fierce backlash. The public has pressured Facebook to drop the social network for children, and now a coalition of 44 US Attorneys General have joined the fight. They have sent a letter to Facebook asking the company to scrap this project and leave the kids alone.
Public pressures Zuckerberg to give up on Instagram for kids
Last month, there was a word about Instagram releasing a dedicated app specifically for children under 13. Many people criticized the decision, and the pressure on Zuckerberg to give up on it seems to be heating up. Recently, an international coalition of 35 children’s and consumer groups invited Zuckerberg to stop the project, citing everything that could go wrong if the app is released. And as you can imagine, there are many things that could go wrong.
What could possibly go wrong? Facebook is building an Instagram app for kids under 13
If kids under 13 wanted to use Instagram, they’d have to lie about their age when signing up (which, to be honest, is fairly simple). But not anymore: Facebook is now making Instagram that will be intended particularly for the youngest users. What could possibly go wrong?
Christmas Wish photos put smiles on sick children’s faces even during pandemic
Australian photographer Karen Alsop is well-known for her heartwarming project Christmas Wish. In the year that’s been challenging on so many levels, it was also challenging to keep the project alive. But Karen and her team still found a way to use photography and bring smiles to the faces of children who are spending holidays in the hospital. Despite the restrictions, the Christmas Wish worldwide team created incredible works of art for these sick children the fifth year in a row.
Five superpowers that every family photographer needs
Way back in January, before Covid-19 was part of our lives, (remember that? It was before we knew that furlough was a real word, before we knew what WFH stood for, and before we put anti-bac on everything), I wrote a little blog about what it’s actually like to be a photographer. If you haven’t read it, you can find it here. Lockdown has given me a fair bit of time to think (but surprisingly little time to do – has anyone else found that?!) and following on from that blog, I’ve realised a few things about what takes a family photographer to the next level. They’re things I try and practice myself, or things I admire about photographers that are way further down the road than I am.
Photographers from all over the world come together to make Christmas happier for children in hospitals
Four years ago, Karen Alsop started The Christmas Wish Project with a goal to make Christmas happier for sick children in Australia. The project has since gone global, and this year it included volunteers, photographers and composite artists from all over the world. They all joined forces to create magical Christmas-inspired art and put a smile on children’s faces during this holiday season.
Instagram finally starts checking if its users are over 13 years old
After gathering more than one billion users on the platform, Instagram has finally decided check their age. Therefore, all new users who sign up will be required to enter their birth date. The social media giant claims that this will “prevent underage people from joining Instagram” and help to “build a safer experience for the youngest members.”
These photos were taken by two little girls in 1917, and they are gorgeous
I recently watched a movie with my kids about the Cottingley Fairies. The film was a bit of a snoozer but it was my introduction to the true story of two little girls who, between 1917 and 1920 took beautiful b&w glass plate photographs of one another interacting with fairies in the forest behind their home in Cottingley, England.
A century later, we don’t give a second thought to any notion that what these children photographed were real elfin creatures. Yet in the early 20th century, with photography and scientific culture in its infancy, the five photographs that the young girls took were under serious investigation by the entire world. The case would become a fulcrum on which questions of science and faith were levered.
Here are 11 great ideas for using your photography to give back to the community
If you are a photographer, you can use nothing but your skills to make a difference and make this world a better place. Isn’t that wonderful? If you’d like to give back to the community by using your photography, it may be a bit confusing at first. You may not know where to start. But Denae & Andrew will help you get started. In this video, they share 11 ideas for doing charity with photography.
These photos ended child labor in the US
At the beginning of the 20th century, the U.S. had a major child labor problem. The children were working in mills, fields, mines and factories, and the statistic says that one in five children under 16 were working at this time. But one photographer’s work helped to put this to an end. In this video from Vox, you’ll hear the story of Lewis Wickes Hine. His powerful images of child workers from the early 20th century contributed to the end of child labor in the United States.
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