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Passions: Instagram for Kids: Blessing or bane?
A mother and a Gen Z-er present different POVs on the newly announced version of the popular social media app
“Kids younger than 13 are already online”
By Araiya Bhattacharjee
Instagram for Kids is something I’ve been reading a lot about of late and it’s brought several questions to my mind. While my parents let me join the app at age 11, I understand why others may have their doubts about it. Instagram, more often than not, exposes you to matters that you wouldn’t have even known existed in the world. It also has users who aren’t always looking out for the best interests of others. I’ve experienced that first-hand with the DMs and comments I get on the content I post. Because of this, I believe that Instagram for Kids is an amazing idea. Kids younger than 13 are already online, and nothing can stop that. So, why not let parents and guardians ease their minds a little and be surer of their children’s safety with a child-friendlier version of an app that’s dominating the social networking world today?
It isn’t just Instagram which is trying to ensure that age-appropriate content is shown to kids, especially with their new feature called the Family Center, where parents can access guardian controls to limit their kid’s time on the app and see what they have reported. YouTube and TikTok already have child-friendly versions of their apps. The idea of an app that allows children to only access videos deemed appropriate for them is a good idea. It prevents them from inadvertently watching something that’s not intended for them!
Araiya Bhattacharjee is a Gen-Z lifestyle influencer with over 60,000 followers.
“There is an age for self-expression”
By Parul Pratap
We decided to allow Facebook at 16 and Instagram perhaps a year later for our teenager. From clickbait to catfishing, everything got murky really fast, so when our daughter turned 16 and I asked her why she wasn’t active on social media, she said, “It’s a judgmental cesspool of creepy agenda”, and that’s a direct quote.
A lot of my thoughts came from that conversation. Expectations are unrealistic: the unspoken demand of which shoes to wear, what weight to be and where to holiday hang heavy in the air. Aren’t school, fear of the future, personal insecurities and teenage hormones enough to deal with? I can’t even begin to step into the territory of stalkers.
Instagram for Kids just sounds like an invitation for predators, and this troubling inkling comes from what we see and read around us! Then comes the question of private profiles. Are they safer? I can’t say!
Children are considered minors for a reason. They need mentorship and supervision. The formative years of a child are meant for learning from grandparents, peers, books and even films and television. Lessons on body positivity, consent, personal space can come later. There is an age for self-expression; till then they need us to guide them on how to be their best selves without the prying eyes of the entire world.
Parul Pratap is executive chef at Music & Mountains and a lover of food, books, films and all things vintage.
From HT Brunch, April 9, 2022
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