Instagram says it’s “pausing” growth of what’s been dubbed “Instagram Kids” — a model of the photo-sharing app geared toward youngsters below 13. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri introduced the information in a blog post at present, saying that the Facebook-owned firm would proceed to work on parental-supervised experiences for youthful web customers.

In the weblog put up and a sequence of accompanying tweets, Mosseri blames the media and critics for misunderstanding the aim of the app. “It was never meant for younger kids, but for tweens (aged 10-12),” he writes within the weblog put up. In a separate tweet, he added that information of the challenge “leaked way before we knew what it would be. People feared the worst, and we had few answers at that stage. It’s clear we need to take more time on this.”

The app’s growth was widely criticized by numerous teams. As Kathryn Montgomery, a senior strategist on the Center for Digital Democracy, informed BBC News: “[T]he company’s real goal is to expand its lucrative and highly profitable Instagram franchise to an even younger demographic, introducing children to a powerful commercialized social media environment that poses serious threats to their privacy, health and wellbeing.”

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