FUZZY LOGIC IN PICTURE SHARING GIANT’S ADVICE TO PARENTS

INSTAGRAM is guilttripping parents into letting children under 13 have their own accounts by claiming they will be bullied if they are not on the app and arguing having a public account is “part of the fun”.

The social media giant has come under fire by cyber safety experts for its “parents guide to Instagram”, which claims kids who are not on the service can “risk social marginalisation” and that kids can “learn to manage” risks of the app like cyberbulling or having predators reach out to them.

The guide — which is meant to inform parents about how to use the photo app safely — also states while Instagram has a minimum age of 13, it “doesn’t ask users to specify their age, and there are many younger children who use the service”.

“Whether Instagram is ‘safe’ depends more on how it’s used than on the age of the user,” the guide states.

“Even if a parent bans all social media, his or her child’s photo and other information can be posted by friends via their accounts. And there’s a risk of social marginalisation for kids who are not allowed to socialise in this way that’s now so embedded in their social lives.”

It also encourages public accounts, claiming even if a child is not on Instagram people can share their photo.

“For many kids, part of the fun of Instagram is developing a big following — a good thing for parents and kids to talk about. Having a public account on Instagram means anyone can follow you,” the guide states.

Best Enemies director Ross Bark, who runs cybersafety courses, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest children were going to experience “social marginalisation” purely for not being on the app.

Mr Bark said anyone under 18 on the app should have a private account and that children under 13 “should definitely not” be on Instagram.

“Social marginalisation sounds like a term that has come out of a marketing manager’s mouth . . . it makes it sound like a young person will be on the fringes of society if you are not on Instagram, which is a silly suggestion,” Mr Bark said.