Users must be at least 13 years old to make an account on Instagram, yet many children under the age of 13 use the platform nevertheless. Instagram Youngsters, the business previously told BBC News, will be a "realistic answer to the ongoing industry problem of kids lying about their age to access apps" and would allow kids to connect with family and friends in an "age-appropriate fashion."
While the project is on hold, Instagram will continue to develop additional opt-in parental supervision features for current Instagram users aged 13 to 19. In 2020, teen girls were asked how Instagram made them feel when they felt horrible about their bodies: