Tech-savvy youngsters who had been looking forward to using a child-friendly version of Instagram will be disappointed to hear it has been put on hold.

Earlier this week, Facebook revealed while it still wants to create ‘Instagram Kids’, it is pausing its development in order to work more closely with parents, experts and policymakers to make it as safe as possible.

The social media giant released a blog post by Head of Instagram’s Adam Mosseri, saying it continues to “stand by the need to develop the experience”. However, it believes it is essential to listen to criticism of the product and “demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today”.

Facebook announced its intentions for ‘Instagram Kids’ in March, as it recognised the difficulty in monitoring the age of those using the adult-version of the photo-sharing app.

Mr Mosseri noted: “Kids are getting phones younger and younger, misrepresenting their age, and downloading apps that are meant for those 13 or older.”

However, since the announcement of the child-friendly app, 44 attorneys general urged Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerburg to abandon the plan in order to protect the mental wellbeing of youngsters.

The letter to the Facebook founder stated: “Young children are not equipped to handle the range of challenges that come with having an Instagram account… They may not fully appreciate what content is appropriate for them to share with others, the permanency of content they post on an online platform, and who has access to what they share online.”

In response, Mr Mosseri said the app will have age-appropriate content and features, no ads, require parent permission to join, and mums and dads will be able to oversee messages.

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