Explained | Why Instagram for kids is being criticised by lawmakers and child rights groups

Lawmakers, child rights groups and medical experts are raising alarms around Instagram’s plan to introduce a service devoted to children, stating risks to their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click to subscribe for free.) Facebook-owned Instagram is said to be working on a separate app for children under 13, BuzzFeed News reported in March. Several advocacy groups and lawmakers censured Facebook by highlighting how children's privacy could get jeopardised by the move. , asking him to abandon the plan. Most recently, a group of U.S. lawmakers urged Facebook to not to create an Instagram service for children as it could potentially harm their physical and mental well-being. "When it comes to putting people before profits, Facebook has forfeited the benefit of the doubt, and we strongly urge Facebook to abandon its plans to launch a version of Instagram for kids," their joint statement read.