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UPDATE NYS AG James Sends Letter to Facebook Opposing Proposed “Instagram for Kids” App

Letitia James is inaugurated as the 67th Attorney General of the State of New York.
Photo by William Alatriste

The ongoing fallout over Facebook’s proposed “Instagram for Kids” app continued this week, prompting a response on Sept. 18 from the company’s VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg. Almost four months ago, on May 10, NYS Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter, along with 43 other state attorneys general, to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to abandon plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. A scathing article on the topic by the Wall Street Journal published on Sept. 14 did little to temper the debate.

 

In the May letter, the coalition of attorneys general contended that social media can be detrimental to children for myriad reasons and that Facebook had historically failed to protect the welfare of children on its platforms. “Without a doubt, this is a dangerous idea that risks the safety of our children and puts them directly in harm’s way,” said James.

 

She continued, “Not only is social media an influential tool that can be detrimental to children who are not of appropriate age, but this plan could place children directly in the paths of predators. There are too many concerns to let Facebook move forward with this ill-conceived idea, which is why we are calling on the company to abandon its launch of Instagram Kids. We must continue to ensure the health and wellness of our next generation and beyond.”

 

In the letter, the attorneys general express various concerns over Facebook’s proposal, including:

  • Research indicating that social media can be harmful to the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children;
  • Rapidly worsening accounts of cyberbullying on Instagram;
  • Use of the platform by predators to target children;
  • Facebook’s unstable record in protecting the welfare of children on its platforms; and
  • Children’s lack of capacity to navigate the complexities of what they encounter online, including advertising, inappropriate content, and relationships with strangers.

 

According to the coalition, at a congressional hearing in March, Zuckerberg dismissed the idea that social media was harmful to children, despite strong data and research that has shown a link between young people’s use of social media and an increase in mental distress, self-injurious behavior, and suicidal thoughts. Instagram has been frequently flagged for increasing suicidal ideation, depression, and body image concerns in children.

 

The coalition argues that young children are not equipped to handle the many challenges that come with having an Instagram account, including that they often lack a developed understanding of privacy. There is also a risk that predators may exploit children online and cloak their identities using the anonymity of the internet. One report found an increase of 200 percent in recorded instances in the use of Instagram to target and abuse children over a six-month period in 2018. In 2020 alone, Facebook and Instagram reported 20 million child sexual abuse images.

 

According to the coalition, cyberbullying is also a major concern. Officials said a 2017 survey found that 42 percent of young Instagram users had experienced cyberbullying on the platform — the highest percentage of any platform measured. As children spend more time online during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, they say these issues have likely been exacerbated.

 

Joining James in sending the letter are the attorneys general of Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.

 

Norwood News reached out to Facebook for comment and a company spokesperson said Facebook has just started exploring a version of Instagram for kids and agrees that any experience must prioritize the safety and privacy of children. The company plans to consult with experts in child development, child safety and mental health, and privacy advocates to inform its decision. “We also look forward to working with legislators and regulators, including the nation’s attorneys general. In addition, we commit to not showing ads in any Instagram experience we develop for people under the age of 13,” the spokesperson said.

 

Norwood News recently reported on the dangers of cyber stalking and the measures being taken in New York City to prevent victims of cyber stalking, including young adults.

 

Norwood News has reached out to the Bronx District Attorney’s office for data on the prevalence of cyber stalking specifically in the Bronx, and will update this story upon receipt of a response.

MALIK FERGUSON SPEAKS during a press conference on Fordham Plaza in the Bronx on July 20 organized by Freedom Youth NYC to highlight the dangers of human trafficking. He also participated in a January seminar during which the dangers of online recruitment were discussed.
Photo by Síle Moloney

The nonprofit, Freedom Youth Family Justice Center (FYFJC), led by Monique Riley and Joseph Riley, has previously organized events in the Bronx and across New York City to educate the community on the dangers of sex trafficking, as reported previously by Norwood News. On January 25, representatives and affiliates of the FYFJC held a virtual seminar to explain and discuss how the online recruitment of youth, including but not limited to vulnerable youth, into the sex trafficking world is a very real and present problem that has only increased amid the pandemic.

 

Participating in the seminar were Brooklyn borough president and mayoral candidate, Eric Adams, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The full video of the seminar can be viewed here. (It’s the first pinned post on their Facebook page, dated January 25.)

 

The prevalence of sex trafficking in the Bronx, particularly in the areas across from St. James Park, was raised at the April 8 Bronx Community Board 7 public safety meetings by at least one concerned resident, and it was proposed that the public safety committee reach out to nonprofits such as Freedom Youth Family Justice Center to obtain their insights into how best to address the problem.

 

A representative from the NYPD spoke at the meeting and confirmed the agency was aware of the issue. The officer voiced concerns about the prospect of decriminalizing prostitution as he said he believed this would only cause it to increase.

 

The concept of decriminalization is complex and nuanced however. Norwood News recently reported on mayoral candidate, Zach Iscol, and his stance on proposed legislation, New York State Senate Bill S6040, the Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act, which is aimed at assisting survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution to exit the trade.

 

Among other things, the bill would decriminalize people in prostitution, mandate that they receive access to necessary social services, strengthen laws against sex trafficking, and advance criminal justice reform. This approach is known in some circles as partial decriminalization of the sex trade or the equality model since it decriminalizes those selling sex, while continuing to prosecute those buying sex.

 

Advocates for the model say it is a survivor-centered approach, where the focus is on harm reduction and lifting people out of the sex trade, based on a recognition that the majority of people are not there by choice. Nonprofits who work with survivors say trans women, for example, are often excluded from traditional forms of employment because of stigma, leaving them with few other options than survival sex.

 

“Passing the Sex Trade Survivors Justice and Equality Act is the best way that the State can help vulnerable women, girls and trans individuals, while preventing human trafficking,” Iscol said at the time. “It builds on what the City has done: stopping arrests of sex workers, and repealing the loitering for the purpose of prostitution law.”

 

Iscol’s views on the bill are supported by the nonprofit, Rights4Girls, a leading nonprofit on safety and justice for young women and girls. The group recently made the documentary, Nameless, which discusses the different ways in which people fall prey to sex trafficking, particularly from a young age.

 

Iscol also called for increased funding for comprehensive services at the New York City level, including mental health care, housing, and related social services for sex trafficked individuals.

 

At the same time, Iscol opposed NY State Senate Bill S6419, a bill which, if passed, would fully decriminalize all elements of the sex trade including pimping, sex buying, and sex work. Iscol said passing Bill S6419 would significantly increase the sex trafficking of vulnerable communities and would risk making New York a global center of the sex trade.

 

The German public service broadcaster, DW, recently broadcast a documentary which shows what life is like for those working in the sex trade in the country, following years of full decriminalization.

 

Iscol added, “Decriminalizing sex buyers and pimps would dramatically increase the demand that leads to sex trafficking, which is the wrong approach for New York and will disproportionately hurt the undocumented, people of color, and trans individuals.”

 

Meanwhile, those who advocate for bill S6419 (full decriminalization) argue that S6040 (partial decriminalization) would push the sex trade underground, a claim that has been refuted by advocates of bill S6419.

 

On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported how Facebook company documents show that the social media giant representatives knew Instagram was toxic for teen girls. It also published stories about Facebook’s handling of misinformation on its platform about the coronavirus.

 

In response, Clegg, a former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015, said it was absolutely legitimate for Facebook to be held to account for how it deals with misinformation, but said some stories about the company have contained deliberate mischaracterizations of what the company is trying to do, and said the Journal conferred egregiously false motives to Facebook’s leadership and employees.

 

Referring to a series of recent Wall Street Journal stories on the company, Clegg said, “At the heart of this series, is an allegation that is just plain false: that Facebook conducts research and then systematically and willfully ignores it if the findings are inconvenient for the company.”

 

He added, “This impugns the motives and hard work of thousands of researchers, policy experts and engineers at Facebook who strive to improve the quality of our products, and to understand their wider (positive and negative) impact. It’s a claim which could only be made by cherry-picking selective quotes from individual pieces of leaked material in a way that presents complex and nuanced issues as if there is only ever one right answer.”

 

Clegg’s full response can be read here.

 

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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