Facebook announced this week that it is temporarily putting a hold on developing a version of Instagram for children younger than age 13 due to concerns regarding the vulnerability of youths online.

Considering studies that have shown a rise in cyberbullying — and the capacity for online predators to seek out young people online who might not be aware of the danger such predators pose — this is a good idea.

There’s still disagreement between Facebook and congressional members on the matter. Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, noted during an interview with NBC’s “Today” show that he still believed it was a good idea to create a version of Instagram that is designed for tweens.

However, he added the company will speak with parents, researchers and safety experts on how to build the platform.

Some members of Congress want the initiative scrapped, citing an increase in cyberbullying, online predators and what they believed to be Facebook’s spotty record of protecting children on its platforms.

While our opinion on an Instagram for tweens — other than the obvious question about whether young people really need another excuse to spend more time online — could be saved for another time, the big takeaway here is that Facebook needs to spend a significant amount of time figuring out how to create this platform safely.

Everyone from U.S. legislators to a group of 44 attorneys general have called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to abandon the initiative. Their concerns are valid.

A recent Wall Street Journal report found that Facebook was aware the use of Instagram by some teenage girls led to mental health issues and anxiety.

A study by Comparitech, a pro-consumer website focusing on cyber security and online privacy, found that 15% of U.S. parents a decade ago noted their child had been cyberbullied, but by 2018 that number grew to 26%.

Another study by that organization between 2018 and 2021 found that a whopping 60% of parents with children between the ages of 14 and 18 reported their child had been cyberbullied. That’s an enormous increase.

Lastly, a recent FBI report found that as many as 500,000 online predators are a daily threat to children online.

It seems obvious that if Facebook is going to move forward with an Instagram for tweens, it needs to do its homework. It has been suggested by some that it should pursue a version where parents can supervise and control their child’s experience, rather than rely on the company to verify if children are old enough to use it.

If it’s unable to do that, then perhaps it’s not meant to be.

— NCD