KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's attorney General is leading the fight against the new idea of Instagram for children.
As of Monday, 44 attorneys general across the U.S. urged Facebook to abandon the plan, which would create a version of the photo sharing app specifically for children ages 13 and under.
Spanish Version: Experto en tecnología ve señales de alarma tras idea de Facebook de crear Instagram para niños
They said it's not only a safety risk, but could have huge mental health consequences.
"I was not surprised when the idea came about. I would be surprised if it came to fruition," said tech expert and parent of three, Luke Wood. “Some people would argue it’s not healthy for adults, let alone children who are just really learning how to socialize and interact with one another face-to-face.”
Right now, children under 13 aren't allowed to use the Instagram app because of federal privacy regulations.
Wood sees too many risks with the idea.
“It’s far more than I want to prevent a predator from getting to my child, obviously I want that. But I also want my child to grow up happy and healthy in their own mind and body.”
While the app would come with strict privacy and safety rules, Wood said those can be broken.
“There’s some way around basically everything.”
His main worry is how it would negatively affect mental health.
“It doesn’t prevent that mental piece of beginning to develop that comparison at an early age or that issue of not feeling your self worth at an early age,” he said.
In his house, he says his youngest son isn’t currently allowed to have any social media.
“The eight year old, nada. He has nothing.”
His 16 year old has had Instagram for two years, but it started with a conversation.
"I kind of look at it as, 'Hey if you want these, come to me, tell me you want them and I want to know why,'" he said.
He urges parents to always be aware.
“Teach them what it means to be safe and careful as well, it’s education, education, education,” he said.
Facebook released a statement saying it agreed with the attorneys to make the safety and privacy of children its priority. The company said it is only "exploring" an Instagram for kids at this time.