Facebook Won't Apologize for Instagram Youth

It’s making a kid-focused version of its photo-sharing app, regardless of what critics say

By Kurt Wagner and Naomi Nix

When Lauren Mull Anglin heard last spring that Facebook Inc. had a version of its Messenger app for children, her mind immediately went to the social network’s patchy record on data security and privacy issues. On the other hand, Anglin’s 7-year-old daughter was often using her mom’s account for video calls, and the app put Anglin in charge of her kids’ interactions. So the 31-year-old healthcare administrator from Georgia and a friend used it themselves until they were satisfied it was safe enough to give to the kids. “I don’t want to sound naive,” says Anglin, before cataloging the myriad ways the app allows her to police her children’s activity, features she says work better than similar ones on other apps for that age set. “I mean, it’s great,” she concludes.