MANSFIELD — The state’s top law enforcement officer said parents should put on their “big, parenting pants” and be OK with invading their children’s privacy.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, in an exclusive interview with Richland Source, offered the strong suggestion ahead of Facebook’s inevitable release of Instagram Youth.
The app is being developed for children under the age of 13. Yost, a Republican from Columbus, said the app could jeopardize parents’ job of protecting their children.
Yost joined 43 other attorneys general in signing a May letter addressed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook owns Instagram.
The letter said, in part, social media “can be harmful to the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children. … Facebook has a record of failing to protect the safety and privacy of children on its platform, despite claims that its products have strict privacy controls.”
Zuckerberg did not respond to the letter in any “substantive way,” Yost said.
Instead, Facebook announced in July it would move forward with building the app. Another announcement outlined updated Instagram safety measures.
One of those measures includes setting accounts of users under age 16 to private by default. Instagram said the move would limit interactions with strangers. It would also limit how advertisers target youth.
In a July interview on the Breakfast Club radio show, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said he knew the app’s kid version would be controversial. But he still believes it would a “healthier, safer place” for children.
Facebook has yet to reveal when it will launch Instagram Youth.
Facebook first developed a kid-friendly version of one of its services in 2017 with Messenger Kids. The messaging app caters to users ages six to 12.
Yost predicted lawsuits against parents in coming decades for “failing to supervise their child in the virtual space.” He said he wouldn’t rule out legal action depending on the finished Instagram Youth product.
“The virtual world is so full of dangers to (children’s) development and even their physical safety. You, as a parent, have an obligation to know what they’re using those devices for, who they’re interacting with, what they’re doing,” he said.
In the meantime, he said parents should use parental controls on devices and use apps that watch a child’s activity on devices and apps. Parents should also consider purchasing phones designed to be “kid-safe.”
“Your job is to protect them,” Yost said, addressing parents. “It’s not to be their best friend.”
