Instagram has yet again seemingly found itself in some hot water. After rolling out hidden likes on content on more users’ profiles, younger users have resorted to switching to business accounts. Initially started as a way to protect these young users–as the competition for likes was proving to be damaging for mental health–has Instagram’s plan backfired?
The reason why this development is particularly concerning is because in order to register yourself as a business account, Instagram requires additional contact information, including a phone number or email–which is then displayed publicly on your page for potential customers to use as a means of communication. However, for these young users not seeking online sales and possibly entering private information on the account, this trend is concerning.
Source: Social Media Today
This practice is certainly not something to be ignored, with researchers finding that about 2 million 12-15 year-old Instagram users worldwide have their contact information publicly visible on the platform. At the time of this writing, Instagram has yet to act on this figure, even though multiple researchers have reported the statistics to the platform.
Regardless of Instagram’s intentions for mental health promotion, millions of minors sharing their contact information publicly needs to be addressed and remedied. What are your thoughts on minors’ Instagram use? Let us know in the comments!