Finally, an Instagram Update We Can All Agree On
Looks like the overlords at Facebook — sorry, Meta — are doing something we can all agree on, for once.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said the social media platform will bring back a "version" of the chronological newsfeed in early 2022, welcome news to scores of users who can't quite figure out how the mysterious algorithm works.
Mosseri announced the move during a recent US Senate subcommittee hearing on Instagram's damaging effects on teen mental health, particularly that of girls, an issue detailed in internal reports leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen.
The move to relaunch the chronological news feed is part of an effort to address concerns that Instagram's algorithm promotes harmful content — such as extreme dieting accounts — to vulnerable users, thereby facilitating a damaging feedback cycle.
Still, Mosseri suggested at Wednesday's hearing that the company was still pursuing "Instagram Kids," a version of the app for younger users.
When asked if he would commit to scrapping the project, the head responded: "What I can commit to you today is that no child between the ages of 10 to 12 — should we ever manage to build Instagram for 10-to-12-year-olds — will have access to that without explicit parental consent."
Instagram introduced other wellbeing-focused features, including a tool called Take A Break, ahead of the hearing.
Mosseri said the company also plans to develop an hub for parents to see how much time their children are spending on the app.
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn pushed back at the notion that these new features would effectively mitigate the app's negative effects on teen mental health.
"While I'm sure you know that we fully share the goal of protecting kids and teens online, what we aren't sure about is how the half-measures you've introduced are going to get us there," she said.
Why not try SpaceHey, instead?
