Attorneys general from across country asking Facebook to scrap Instagram for kids

NEW YORK - Most teens can’t live without scrolling or double-tapping. Adults are even addicted. But what about your tween? 

Kids under the age of 13 with their own Instagram account. Facebook has a plan in the works to develop a version of Instagram aimed at preteens called Instagram For Kids. 

More than 40 attorneys general across the country, including New York’s Letitia James, have signed a letter asking Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to nix the idea. The letter reading in part "It appears that Facebook is not responding to a need, but instead creating one." Experts say that need is a child’s emotional and mental well-being. The letter also points to alarming rates of cyberbullying.

"There are legitimate concerns here by the attorneys general because while their may be policies in place or laws like the children’s privacy protection act in place given the sheer number of the people on these platforms, it’s hard to police everything at once" said Pedram Tabibbi, a social media and privacy attorney.

Facebook says that kids are already online and that this move is about improving the situation "that give parents visibility and control over what their kids are doing." 

The company also promises to not show any advertisements to a child 13 and under and they won’t collect data from kids under federal law.